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/ 


HOW TO SWIM 


A PRACTICAL TREATISE UPON THE ART OF NATATION 
TOGETHER WITH INSTRUCTION AS TO THE BEST 
METHODS OF SAVING PERSONS IMPERILLED 
IN THE WATER, AND OF RESUSCITATING 
THOSE APPARENTLY DROWNED 


t) Ct 

iff f 


BY 

CAPTAIN DAVIS DALTON 


Champion Long-Distance Swimmer of the World 

Chief Inspector of the United States Volunteer Life-Saving 
Corps, etc. 


WITH ILLUSTRATIONS DRAWN FROM LIFE 


G. P. PUTNAM’S SONS 

NEW YORK AND LONDON 

Gbe Iftnickerbocfcer press 

1899 




’ * * 






38133 

Copyright, 1899 

BY 

DAVIS DALTON 
Entered at Stationers’ Hall, London 


TWO CO^i'.a N6C£tVE0. 



. TTOe 'fentcfeerbocfeer press, mew 

* * • 

• • 




To the President and Members 


of THE 

UNITED vSTATES VOLUNTEER LIFE-SAVING 
CORPS 


THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED 





CONTENTS 


CHAPTER PAGE 

Dedication .iii 

I. Introductory . 1 

II. Have Confidence .io 

III. The Strokes.20 

The Breast Stroke .... 20 

The Side Stroke.27 

The Back Stroke ..... 30 

The English Racing Stroke ... 35 

The American Racing Stroke ... 44 

The Indian or “Trudgeon” Stroke . 45 

Swimming like a Dog . . . .46 

Floating. 47 

Swimming in Clothes.49 

How to Remove Clothes in the Water . 50 

Upright Swimming.52 

Treading Water. 53 

Breathing. 55 

IV. Under Water. 59 

Swimming under Water .... 59 


J 


v 







VI 


Contents 


CHAPTER PAGE 

Diving.63 

Diving Backwards.72 

The Plunge.76 

To Twist in the Dive .... 76 

The “Turtle Dive”.77 

Jumping. 77 

The “Foot Dive”.78 

Creeping.78 

To Swim with the Legs Fastened to¬ 
gether .79 

Records : Racing.79 

Records : Swimming on Back ... 80 

Records: Under Water .... 80 

A Single Stroke.80 

The Cramp.81 

Swimming in the Waves .... 83 

The Tide.84 

“Don’ts”.85 

V.—Fancy Swimming (by Prof. F. E. Dalton) . 88 

Swimming, Feet Foremost, on Back . 88 

The Propeller.89 

Swimming, Feet Foremost, on Breast . 90 

Swimming with Both Legs out of the 

Water.91 

Steam Tug.92 

Swimming with One Hand out of the 

Water.92 

The Spinning Top.94 

The Roller.95 









Contents vii 

CHAPTER PAGE 

To Sit in the Water .... 95 

Standing upon the Hands ... 96 

Turning Somersaults in the Water . 96 

Swimming without Hands or Feet . . 97 

How to Support and Propel Oneself . 97 

Walking on the Water .... 99 

Feats for Two Swimmers .... 99 

The Wrestle ...... 99 

The Float ...... 100 

The Drive ...... 100 

Over and Under ..... 100 

Leap-Frog.101 

Under-Water Tricks.102 

Smoking ...... 102 

Drinking ...... 103 

Eating ....... 103 

Singing ....... 103 

Writing ....... 104 

Water Polo.104 

American Rules of Water Polo . . 106 

Physical Exercise and Training . .110 

VI. How to Save Life.113 

How to Rescue Others . . . .114 

Resuscitation.120 

To Restore Breathing : Hall’s Method. 121 
Silvester’s Method. 124 
Treatment after Breathing has been 

Restored.127 

VII. Upon Public Education in Swimming . . 130 


















ILLUSTRATIONS 


Captain Davis Dalton 
Breast Stroke. Fig. i . 

n ii “ 2 

“ 3 • 

Practice out of the Water 
Side Stroke. Fig. i 
“ “ “ 2 

“ “ “ 3 

Swimming on Back. Fig. i 

« ( II II “ n 


PAGE 

Frontispiece 

20 

21 

22 

• 23 
27 

• 28 

. 29 

. 31 

. 32 


“ “ “ “3 . 33 

“ “ “ Arms Folded ... 35 

English Racing Stroke. Fig. 1 . . . .37 

“ “ “ “ 2 .... 38 

Racing Stroke. Showing Arm and Leg Move¬ 
ments . 4 i 

Treading Water. 54 

Position for Forward Dive.67 

Shallow Dive. 68 

Position in Air for Dive .6g 

Position for Backward Dive ..... 73 


IX 









X 


Illustrations 


PAGE 


Prof. F. E. Dalton (Showing Preliminary Position 

of Racing Dive). To face 88 

The Propeller.89 

Swimming, Feet Foremost, on Breast ... 90 

Swimming with Both Legs out of the Water . 91 

Swimming with One Hand out of the Water . 93 

The Spinning Top. 94 

Water Polo.105 

A Good Way of Saving and Bringing a Man 

Ashore.116 

Hall’s Method of Resuscitation . . . .123 

Silvester’s Method of Artificial Breathing. 

Fig. 1.125 

Silvester’s Method of Artificial Breathing. 

Fig. 2.125 

Silvester’s Method of Artificial Breathing. 

Fig. 3.126 










HOW TO SWIM 






HOW TO SWIM 


CHAPTER I 

INTRODUCTORY 

F EW persons know how to swim. By this 
statement I do not mean to imply that 
there is not a strong minority among the resid¬ 
ents of a seacoast or a river or lake front, 
who can keep their noses above water for a 
time, and even propel themselves along at a 
moderate rate of speed. But of the whole 
population of a country these swimmers make 
up only a small fraction, and even among them 
there are very few who are properly expert in 
the water. How many men who deem them¬ 
selves good swimmers can keep afloat an hour 

i 






2 


How to Swim 


with their clothes on ? How many are there 
who do not exhaust themselves with useless 
movements so that they must leave the water 
or sink, long before their powers ought to give 
out ? How many who can support themselves 
and another person besides in the water ? Not 
many. 

Again, how many women can swim at all ? 
For a lover of swimming, there is something 
pathetic in a visit to a popular seaside resort, 
where hundreds of women venture waist-deep 
into the sea, and seizing the ropes churn up 
and down, screaming partly with pleasure, 
partly with fear, while a dozen damsels, “ good 
swimmers,” make triumphant progress to the 
raft a hundred feet beyond the line of 
breakers. 

This state of affairs is wrong. Swimming is 
not a difficult art. Every healthy person, man 
or woman, can learn, and ought to learn, to 
keep afloat in the water; most men and a large 
proportion of women can learn to sustain them¬ 
selves fully clothed even to their shoes, and 
most persons, properly trained, are able, under 


How to Swim 


3 


ordinary conditions, to save another person 
from sinking. 

But the ability to accomplish these things 
comes of proper training. Swimming is an 
art, and, like other arts, must be learned. To 
man it is not a natural gift. There is an 
ancient theory that it is; that a man cast for 
the first time into deep water will keep himself 
afloat as a dog will, or a horse. “ Why should 
he not ?” ask the theorists. “ The specific 
gravity of a human being is just about equal 
to the specific gravity of water. Lying upon 
his back a swimmer can float without aid from 
hands or feet. To keep one’s head clear re¬ 
quires but little effort; even an inexperienced 
man ought to make this effort. ’’ Relying upon 
this, many persons who ought to have known 
better asserted that the best way to teach 
swimming was to “ chuck the pupil in and let 
him take care of himself.” The fallacy of this 
reasoning has been demonstrated by many 
perilous experiences. A moment of considera¬ 
tion will convince the most superficial thinker 
that the argument is baseless. Although it is 



4 


How to Swim 


true that the specific gravity of the whole 
human being is equal to that of water, never¬ 
theless parts of the human being are consider¬ 
ably heavier than water, and the heaviest part 
is the head, where the breathing apparatus is 
situated. 

In “ floating’' the head must be in such a 
position that it is upborne as much as possible 
by the water. If it lacks this sustaining force 
—that is, if it be held entirely above the sur¬ 
face—it is far heavier than water; its weight de¬ 
stroys the balance of gravity, and, unless he can 
use his arms and legs properly, the swimmer 
sinks. Now it is the tendency of novices to 
hold the head high, and in keeping it high the 
inexperienced man soon wearies himself with 
useless struggles, breathes at the wrong time, 
fills his lungs with water, destroys their lifting 
power, and so goes down. The natural strug¬ 
gles of a man do not keep him afloat. The 
natural struggles of animals lift their heads. 
If a dog falls into the water, he raises his nose 
and walks as he does on land. But for a man 
the motions of swimming are entirely unlike 


How to Swim 


5 


any movement that he makes in daily life, and 
before he can learn them, in nine cases out of 
ten, he is drowned. 

But even those persons who do hit at once 
upon the movements and positions necessary 
in maintaining themselves at the surface—nay, 
even those who finally become at home among 
the waves and learn to push through them with 
a certain degree of speed, do not necessarily, or 
even probably, become good swimmers. For 
swimming, I repeat, is an art like other athletic 
arts. It depends upon natural principles. In 
a book of this character any consideration of 
the physical laws involved in swimming would 
be out of place; suffice it to say that men 
equipped for the work have studied these laws, 
and have ascertained the movements that are 
best for taking advantage of them. 

The aims of a swimmer are three: he must 
keep afloat; he must attain speed; he must 
economise effort. The second of these aims, 
and, indeed, ultimately the first, depends upon 
the third. In order to proceed rapidly a swim¬ 
mer must use only those movements that 


6 


How to Swim 


propel him; every slightest flexure of arm or 
leg that does not help him along hinders him. 
In order to make long distances he must save his 
strength; every superfluous gesture exhausts 
some of it unnecessarily. Among those per¬ 
sons who have learned swimming hap-hazard, 
there are few who do not hinder their progress 
and wear themselves out with misdirected and 
needless movements. Moreover, a false stroke, 
once thoroughly learned, is not easily to be 
corrected; even practice, though it has the ad¬ 
vantage of familiarising a swimmer with the 
water, has the disadvantage, for one who has 
begun badly, of fixing every habit of clumsi¬ 
ness. 

The implication is manifest: beginners in 
swimming should learn carefully the move¬ 
ments which have proved most effective and 
most economical of effort. It is my aim to 
describe these movements clearly, so that my 
readers may be able to execute them. But, 
after all, for those persons who are within 
reach of a competent—not a mediocre—in¬ 
structor, the best method of learning to swim 


How to Swim 


7 


is to take direct lessons. In this connection I 
should like to impress upon my readers the 
expediency of providing for such an instructor 
in every community, nay, particularly in every 
school-house. 

In England swimming is a part of the cur¬ 
riculum of most schools; in London it is a 
part of the public-school system. In America 
it has been regarded as a pastime rather than 
as an art. A pastime it is, of the noblest 
type; for while it is pleasing the senses, it is at 
the same time strengthening the muscles, puri¬ 
fying the skin, and developing habits of alert¬ 
ness and self-possession. 

Moreover, over other pastimes it has this 
advantage: it gives to its devotees a particular 
training that enables them to save their own 
lives and the lives of others in emergencies 
that are likely to confront anyone of us at 
some period of his career. 

But I need hardly dwell upon the desirability 
of learning to swim. It is acknowledged by 
everyone. Nevertheless, while our schools and 
colleges are recognising baseball and football— 


8 


How to Swim 


sports whose merits I do not desire to cry down 
—as necessary complements to science and 
classics in the development of the finest type 
of man, they leave swimming, as healthful as 
either of these exercises,—and more useful, is 
it not, than either of them ?—to be learned 
hap-hazard or not at all. This is not as it 
should be. Skill in swimming ought to be 
part of every man’s and every woman’s equip¬ 
ment for life. And since in the majority of 
cases the advantage of a good swimmer who 
can sustain himself clothed and, if need be, can 
rescue another from drowning, over an imper¬ 
fect swimmer, who exhausts himself with need¬ 
less effort, is due to proper training at first, the 
value of such training can hardly be over¬ 
estimated. Swimming, then, should be taught 
in the public schools of America. In every 
school building there should be a tank with 
a properly equipped instructor, and classes 
should go to him as regularly as they go to 
their teacher of arithmetic. The first cost 
of establishing such a system would be large, 
but the cost of keeping it up would not. 


How to Swim 


9 


Even if it should be a heavy item in municipal 
budgets, however, it would pay for the expense 
in the pleasure and health it would give to the 
children and in the saving of life that it would 
bring about. 



* 



CHAPTER II 

HAVE CONFIDENCE 

HIS is the fundamental rule of 'swimming. 



1 The rules for directing the movements of 
lungs, arms, and legs depend upon this. If a 
swimmer loses confidence in his power to keep 
up; if he distrusts the movements he is mak¬ 
ing; if he goes into a flurry and wastes his 
breath and his strength with useless kicking 
and paddling, he is done for—unless help be 


near. 


Now to write the words “ Have confidence ** 
is easy, and to read them and seem to take 


them to heart is easy. But for the novice 
really to have confidence at the moment when 
the first cold wave rises above his—or her— 
waist is, I have observed, quite another affair. 
But I have observed, also, that, allowing for 


10 



How to Swim 


11 

differences in temperament, the novices who 
understand the reasons why they are justified 
in having confidence acquire it, on the whole, 
sooner than those who are led into the water 
with the mere repeated assurance, “ It won’t 
hurt you,” as one leads in a horse. 

Therefore I shall touch lightly here upon the 
reasons why human beings — particularly if 
they be rather stout, and most particularly if 
they be women—need not fear the water in its 
ordinary peaceful mood. 

The chief reason is that the human body as 
a whole is of about the same weight as water. 
Some persons are lighter than water, some 
heavier. The heavier persons are those who 
are thin—and therefore do not displace a great 
bulk of water—and at the same time heavy of 

bone. Stout persons, who present to the up- 

/ 

bearing influence of the sea a surface great in 
proportion to their weight, and women whose 
bones are smaller in relation to their statures 
than those of men, can float in salt water with¬ 
out sustaining themselves by a single wave of 
the hand. 


12 


How to Swim 


For them swimming would be an easy art, if 
their weight were evenly divided. Unfortun¬ 
ately, it is not. The legs, arms, and particu¬ 
larly the head, are heavy. Left to themselves 
they would sink. They are lifted by the 
trunk—mainly by the upper portion of the 
trunk where the lungs are placed. As long as 
the lungs are filled, some part of the body will 
remain above water. I have found that bit of 
knowledge comforting to novices. 

Of course, there is a difficulty about keeping 
clear the nose and mouth (the single portion of 
the body which must not be submerged), be¬ 
cause the nose and mouth are in the head, and 
that, being chiefly bone, is the “ sinker ** of 
the body. However, let the beginner not be 
afraid because of that difficulty. If he is con¬ 
tent to lift merely his nose above the surface 
(instead of attempting, after the manner of 
most beginners, to lift his whole head and 
even his shoulders), he will find that a very 
slight effort will suffice to keep his organs of 
breathing free of water. 

In relation to specific gravity there is a differ- 


How to Swim 


13 


ence between fresh water and salt wafer. In 
fresh water you are not upborne as strongly as 
you are in the sea. I shall try to show the 
beginner, in a few words, just what support he 
may rely upon finding in inland waters and 
upon the coast. 

1. The legs, being solid parts, are heavier 
than fresh water. Until the lungs become 
filled with water, however,—having breathed 
in water instead of air,—the body will float. 

2. The legs and arms are lighter than salt 
water, and will be supported by it, so that a 
human body would not sink in salt water, 
though the lungs were filled as above, except 
for the great specific gravity of the head. 

3. Therefore, a person throwing himself on 
his back in salt water, and extending his arms, 
may easily lie so as to keep his mouth and 
nostrils free for breathing ; and by a small 
motion of his hands may prevent himself turn¬ 
ing, if he should perceive any tendency to it. 

4. In fresh water, if a man throws himself on 
his back near the surface, he cannot long con¬ 
tinue in that situation, except by proper action 


14 


How to Swim 


of his hands on the water. If he uses no such 
action, the legs and lower part of the body will 
gradually sink till the swimmer comes to an 
upright position, in which he will continue sus¬ 
pended, the hollow of the back keeping the 
head uppermost. 

5. But if, in this erect position, the head is 
kept upright above the shoulders, as when we 
stand on the ground, the immersion will, by 
the weight of that part of the head that is out 
of water, reach above the mouth and nostrils, 
perhaps a little above the eyes, so that a man 
cannot long remain suspended in water with 
his head in that position. 

6. The body continuing suspended as before, 
and upright, if the head be bent quite back, so 
that the face looks upwards, all the back part 
of the head being then under water, and its 
weight consequently in a great measure sup¬ 
ported, the face will remain above water quite 
free for breathing, will rise an inch higher every 
inspiration, and sink as much every expiration, 
but never so low that the water may come over 
the mouth. 


How to Swim 


i5 


7. If, therefore, a person unacquainted with 
swimming, and falling accidentally into the 
water, could have presence of mind sufficient 
to avoid struggling and plunging, and to 
let the body take this natural position, he 
might continue long safe from drowning, till 
perhaps help would come. For as to the 
clothes, their additional weight while immersed 
is very inconsiderable, the water support¬ 
ing it ; though when a swimmer comes out 
of the water, he finds them very heavy 
indeed. 

When a beginner has come to be on good 
terms with the water, he is ready to learn the 
two branches of the art of swimming—how to 
make strokes and how to breathe. 

It is perhaps well at this point to touch upon 
the question of artificial aids to the beginner— 
belts, slings, etc., which support the swimmer 
in deep water until he can support himself. 
Without entering upon a long discussion of 
this question—of which both sides have been 
too frequently presented—I may say here that 
I do not use nor recommend the use of artificial 


i6 


How to Swim 


aids; I believe they inspire in the novice a 
false confidence which is apt to vanish when 
the artificial support is withdrawn. I take my 
pupils to the sea or river—or, if open-air bath¬ 
ing is not accessible, to a shallow tank,—and 
let them find their legs in the water and wade 
out till the ripples lap against their chins and 
the pressure from below is almost lifting them 
—that shows them how buoyant water is,—and 
I teach them to submerge themselves and to 
hold their breaths beneath the surface, and, in 
short, make them at home under water before 
I make them at home at the surface. But in 
doing this I am very careful—and I urge others 
to be equally careful—not to force any person 
under water. Particularly ladies and children, 
plunged beneath the surface against their will, 
are apt to be terrified, and to lose confidence 
not only in their own powers but also in the 
judgment of their teacher; and confidence, 
once lost, is not easily to be regained, if indeed 
it be regained at all. 

But beginners who are not frightened by 
their friends or by their instructors soon learn 


How to Swim 


17 


that a ducking is no serious matter; indeed 
most persons presently begin to consider it a 
pleasure. For those persons, when they begin 
to learn the strokes, little artificial help is 
necessary; a hand under the side is enough, 
and this may be removed sooner than a cork 
belt or a sling or any cumbrous bit of appa¬ 
ratus. For even if the novice happens to sink, 
it is no serious matter, attended perhaps with 
strangulation. Novices trained under this 
system know what to do when they sink. 

Therefore, to those who desire to learn 
swimming without a teacher, I say, accustom 
yourselves to the water. Go in first to your 
knees; then to your waist; finally to your 
neck. Then go in to your shoulders and stoop 
until you are entirely submerged. Remain 
under water at first for a second only. If the 
water in your nostrils troubles you, you may 
at first, if you like, close your nose, before 
you sink, with your thumb and finger—but do 
not let this become a habit. Gradually accus¬ 
tom yourself to remaining under the surface 
for increasing periods of time with nostrils 


i8 


How to Swim 


open. Practice will enable you to hold them 
free of water, and the. time may come when, 
being deep in the sea, you will need both 
hands to raise you to the surface. For this 
time it is well to be prepared. Without at¬ 
tempting at first, then, to swim, thoroughly 
accustom yourself to the feeling of being under 
the water. Learn to open your eyes. Do not 
stare, however, as many persons do at first, for 
salt water pushes its way into eyes, opened too 
wide, and makes them smart. At first, do 
not keep your eyes open too much. After a 
time you will find that you can raise your lids 
in the water as easily and comfortably as you 
can in the air. 

Learn to know the look of things in the 
curious “ filtered ” light beneath the surface. 
Presently you will be able to distinguish ob¬ 
jects upon the bottom. Then test yourself. 
Drop three porcelain eggs, one red, one white, 
and one blue, near you, and try to pick up 
whichever one your friends may call for. At 
first you will find some difficulty in sinking to 
the bottom at all. In order to do this it is 


How to Swim 


19 


necessary either to exhaust the lungs of air 
before you crouch, or else to plunge head 
downward, legs upward, and, when you have 
found your egg, to gather your feet beneath 
you and stand up. 

You will be surprised to find how few experi¬ 
ments in water shoulder-deep will enable you 
to do this. Having accomplished it, you are 
ready to learn swimming. 

It is obvious, therefore, that the beginner 
may be confident of his ability to keep himself 
afloat, after he shall have learned the slight 
necessary movements. A swimmer, properly 
trained, can sustain himself for periods of time 
that seem unattainable to those persons who 
wriggle and struggle through the water and 
call that swimming. I have passed eight hours 
in the sea with my clothes on; in 1890, when 
I swam across the English Channel, I was in the 
water twenty-three and three-quarter hours, 
and (having been swept out of my course by 
the tide) swam sixty miles. 



CHAPTER III 

THE STROKES 


THE BREAST STROKE 


W HEN you have accustomed yourself to 
the idea of putting your head under 
water, and find that no harm results from it, 
then wade out from the shore up to your chest, 
face the shore, and join the palms of the hands 



BREAST STROKE. FIQ. 1. 


together at the breast with the fingers tightly 

closed, as in Fig. i. This is most important, as 
20 


















How to Swim 


21 


I have noticed that beginners, when learning by 
themselves, keep the fingers apart, thereby of¬ 
fering a greater resistance to the water without 
any gain. If man had webs joining his fingers, 
like a seal, he would make greater headway with 
the same amount of exertion—but he has not. 

Therefore keep the fingers closed and shoot 
the arms straight out to the position in Fig. 2; 



BREAST STROKE. FIQ. 2. 


this stroke should be a quick one, the hands 
being kept about two inches under water. 
When the arms are stretched out to their full¬ 
est extent, then turn the palms of the hands 
flat, lying almost horizontal to the surface, and 
make a semicircular sweep to position of Fig. 
3, with the arms straightened out all the time 
and the palms of the hands almost horizontal. 









22 


How to Swim 


Be careful not to draw the arms farther back 
than to a line perpendicular to the shoulders. 
As you bring the hands back to the first position 
again, gradually turn them on the way, so that 
the palms of the hands meet again at the 
breast, ready for the next stroke. 

XI should advise beginners to practise the 
three strokes for the hands and arms, on the 



BREAST STROKE. FIQ. 3. 


shore first. One can get a far better idea of it 
on dry land. Don’t forget to count aloud as 
you make the strokes, for this will help you to 
keep in time with the leg strokes. When you 
have thoroughly learned the arm strokes (but 
not before), begin with the leg stroke, which 
is much more difficult. That is one reason why 




















How to Swim 


23 


I advise a beginner to learn the arm strokes 
first, because if he should learn the leg strokes 
first and then attempt to swim by himself, the 
upper part of his body would sink, and he 
would come near to drowning if no help was 
near; whereas by learning the arm stroke 
first he can always keep his head above water 
even if he is not able to swim. 



PRACTICE OUT OF THE WATER. 


Again, the leg strokes demand a good deal 
of practice before a person can honestly say he 
can do them properly. The reason of this is 
that a person has more control over the arms 
than legs. Moreover, he can see himself doing 
the arm strokes, but not the leg strokes. For 
this reason, most swimmers have a better arm 
than leg action. Perfection in use of the legs 






24 


How to Swim 


is an absolutely essential point to good swim¬ 
ming; speed, style, and stamina can only be 
obtained by a swimmer who has a good leg 
action. Therefore I advise everyone to give a 
great deal of attention and time to perfecting 
the leg strokes. The lower limbs become 
properly supple only after practice. 

To learn the correct leg action it is necessary 
to have the help of either a friend or instruc¬ 
tor, the latter for preference. Begin by prac¬ 
tising the legs on shore. Place a cushion over 
a stool and lie on it, balanced upon the abdo¬ 
men. Then get a friend to grip your ankles 
and pull your legs straight out with the heels 
touching and the toes directed outwards; then 
let him push your feet toward your body as 
far as possible, as in Fig. i, care being taken 
all the time to keep the heels together so that 
the feet form a straight line, pointing in oppos¬ 
ite directions. 

Then pull the legs out straight, as far apart 
as possible, as in Fig. 2, the feet being still in 
a horizontal line with each other; then, still 
keeping the legs straightened out, bring them 



How to Swim 


25 


together, as in Fig. 3, with the heels touching. 
This is a most important movement, and one 
usually slurred over by those who learn swim¬ 
ming without a teacher. The water thus com¬ 
pressed between the legs pushes the body 
forward. Some authorities assert that it is the 
chief propelling factor. Without going as far 
as that, I am sure that it is an important factor. 

As you are about to bring your heels to¬ 
gether, at the end of this movement, suddenly 
relax the ankle joints and flap —I can think of 
no better word—your feet together until the 
soles almost meet, and lie in line with the legs. 
This slight movement of the feet gives you a 
powerful impulse forward. During the “ re¬ 
covery’’ of your legs to the position nearest 
the body, keep your feet always in line with 
your motion, so that they may not impede you. 

Repeat these strokes until you are tired. 
Next day enter the water and try the leg 
movements, holding meanwhile to the side of 
the bath or to a boat, if alone, or else persuade 
a friend to hold you up in the water with his 
left hand placed under your chest. With his 


26 


How to Swim 


right, he can work your left foot in the proper 
positions, while your right foot must be man¬ 
aged by yourself. When you have learned 
both arm and leg strokes thoroughly, try them 
together. If you are teaching yourself, wade 
out to your shoulders and push off from the 
bottom with your feet, at the same time shoot¬ 
ing the arms forward to position i; do not 
stop, but sweep the arms round to position 2; 
at the same time kick the legs out as far apart 
as possible, as in Fig. 2; then bring the legs 
and arms quickly back to position 3. This 
last stroke should be done the quickest. When 
the beginner can proceed five feet, under in¬ 
structor, these strokes can be done slowly and 
thoroughly while the pupil is held up by the 
teacher. Finally, the latter can gradually 
draw his hand away until only one finger re¬ 
mains, and after a time draw that slight sup¬ 
port away too, without the pupil knowing it. 

The legs must not be dropped deep in the 
water, but must be held within a few inches of 
the surface. If they are allowed to fall too 
low their action merely lifts the swimmer with- 


How to Swim 


27 


out urging him forward. The breast stroke is 
best for swimming in a rough sea and good- 
for racing over a course of moderate length. 
It is not as tiring as the other faster strokes; 
at the same time, if done properly, it is pretty. 
Nothing looks neater than a good breast-stroke 



SIDE STROKE. FIQ. 1. 

swimmer who can move through the water at a 
fair pace, without raising a ripple. 

THE SIDE STROKE 

The art of side-stroke swimming is easy to 
learn, once the beginner can do the breast 
stroke correctly,for the above-mentioned stroke 
is the groundwork of all the other strokes. 
One of the good features of the side stroke is 
that it can be done either on the left or right 

















28 


How to Swim 


side. It is well to be able to do both, espe¬ 
cially when swimming a long distance, as one 
can change from one side to the other, thus 
giving oneself a rest; a very important thing 
for distance swimming. 

The arm movements are best practised out 
of the water, as they are rather confusing at 



SIDE STROKE. FIQ. 2. 


first, after the breast stroke. Try on the right 
side first; commence by stretching the left arm 
straight out in a line with the body. Hold 
the palm of the left hand turned outward. 
The right arm is drawn close in, with the 
hand touching the side, as in Fig. i. Next 
draw the left arm back to the body and along 
it. Push the water behind you to position 2, 
at the same time shooting the right arm straight 
















How to Swim 


29 


out from the body, then bring the arms back 
to position 1, care being taken that the left 
arm passes through the water near the body, 
as in Fig. 3. After some practice with the 
right side, do likewise on the left side, working 
the arms vice-versa—the left arm working in 



SIDE STROKE. FIG. 3. 


and out from the body and the right arm doing 
the long sweeping stroke. The leg action is 
very similar to the leg movements in the breast 
stroke, the difference being that in this side 
stroke the legs are much closer together in the 
second position. Bring the legs up to the body 
as in Fig. i and shoot them straight out as in 
Figs. 2 and 3. Learn to do the arm and leg 














30 


How to Swim 


actions together as in the illustrations. Ac¬ 
custom yourself to do this stroke as well on 
the left side as on the right. 

When turning from one side to the other, 
always turn on the breast when reaching the 
first stroke on the side, and after reaching the 
first position on the breast stroke turn upon 
your other side, which brings you to the first 
position on your left side. This turning from 
side to breast back to side will be found rather 
difficult at first, but with a little practice it can 
be mastered. 


THE BACK STROKE 

Swimming on the back is one of the easiest 
and most useful strokes. Upon his back a 
swimmer can sustain himself much longer than 
in any other posture. But at first, for a be¬ 
ginner, to lie on the back with the ears under 
water is somewhat alarming. Each thrust with 
the legs threatens to push the head beneath 
the surface. That is why so many novices 
hold their head quite clear of the water. But 
this attitude sends their legs down too low, 


How to Swim 


3i 


presents a funny appearance, and, in short, is 
not at all conducive to good swimming. 
Therefore, before trying to swim on the back, 
the learner should accustom himself to holding 
his head back in the water with the ears sub¬ 
merged. The water will enter the ears, and 
that, to some persons, is disagreeable. I ad- 



SWIMMING ON BACK. FIG. 1. 

vise such persons to use a little cotton wadding 
at first, though I do not recommend this as a 
practice. 

When the learner has accustomed his ears 
and head to lying upon and under the water, 
he is ready to swim on his back. He should 
begin by throwing himself backwards from a 
standing position in water not too deep. At 
once he should kick the legs out, holding them 












3 2 


How to Swim 


somewhat apart; next he should bring the 
heels together with legs straightened. As in 
the breast stroke, this is an important move¬ 
ment, because the body is propelled for¬ 
ward by the action of the legs closing upon 
the wedge of water between them. When 



SWIMMING ON BACK. FIG. 2. 


the heels are together, draw them close to the 
body, into the preliminary position of the 
stroke. These movements are somewhat 
similar to those of the breast stroke. The 
arms should be kept close along the sides. 
After a few strokes with the legs, inflate the 
lungs and lay the head well back; this will 
lighten the body and prepare it to shoot 

























How to Swim 


33 


through the water more smoothly. Increase 
the force of the leg movements, but do not 
repeat them too rapidly. To increase the 
pace, use the arms, by extending them back 
beyond the head in a straight line with the 
body, as in Fig. I, with the backs of the hands 
touching each other; then sweep the arms 

/ 



SWIMMING ON BACK. FIG. 3. 


through the water till they are in a straight 
line with the shoulders, as in Fig. 2, and con¬ 
tinue the stroke till the palms of the hands 
touch the sides of the legs, as in Fig. 3. 

A variation can be made in the arm strokes 
by using each hand alternately; start with the 
right arm straightened out beyond the head, 
and the left arm touching the left leg; then 
bring the latter arm out of the water, carry it 


3 











34 


How to Swim 


straight backwards beyond the head, and at 
the same time sweep the right arm toward the 
feet till the flat of the hand touches the right 
leg. The legs are kicked out while the right 
arm is shooting through the water; then the 
legs and left arm are pulled up and shoot out 
together. This is the fastest way of back 
swimming for a short distance. 

It is possible to attain a good deal of speed 
with the back stroke—indeed, some experts 
have made almost as fast time as good side- 
stroke swimmers. But its chief value is not 
for racing, it is for long-distance swimming. 
It is the least exhausting stroke for traversing 
great distances, mainly because the posture of 
the back swimmer is (almost exactly) the easiest 
posture of all,—that of “ floating” upon the 
water. The chest is inflated and high, the 
head is floating deep, and therefore supported 
by the water. In this position the mouth is 
well above the surface. At any time a tired 
back-swimmer may cease to move, and simply 
lying “ spread-eagle,” with arms and legs out¬ 
spread, may float and thus rest. 


How to Swim 


35 


It was upon my back that I crossed the 
English Channel, and I did not find it once 
necessary to turn over during the passage of 
sixty miles. 

Another good feature of the back stroke—as 
I shall explain in a following chapter—is its 
availability in the rescue of drowning persons. 



SWIMMING ON THE BACK. ARMS FOLDED. 

It is, moreover, the salvation of swimmers 
seized with the cramp. 


THE ENGLISH RACING STROKE 

The ambition of most beginners is to make 
fast time as soon as possible, and this is well. 
Nevertheless, I counsel beginners to be deliber¬ 
ate at first; to increase their speed by small 
























36 


How to Swim 


degrees; otherwise they are likely to acquire 
some false habit. They should learn to swim 
without splashing or struggling before they 
learn to swim fast; and when they have once 
gained the correct “ form,” they will find that 
their speed will increase naturally. 

For rapid dashes, from one hundred yards to 
a mile, I have found the English racing stroke 
best, and I advise all swimmers to learn this 
style. To excel at it, however, means practice 
and a close attention to details, for the move¬ 
ments are somewhat complicated. 

It is better to learn the arm movements 
first, as they are easier than those of the legs. 
It is advisable for a learner to persuade some 
one to enter the water with him and support 
him with a hand under the right side. For 
those who have learned the breast stroke this 
is not absolutely necessary, but even for them 
it is desirable, because it enables them to keep 
their minds upon their “ form,” without think¬ 
ing of sustaining themselves. 

To take the first position, lie upon the right 
side, draw your right arm snug against your 


How to Swim 


37 


body, touching your side with your wrist. 
The fingers should be closed together and 
pointed forward. Throw the left arm out of 
the water and forward, with the palm of the 
hand turned away from the body. When the 
hand is somewhat in advance of the head, but 



ENGLISH RACING STROKE. FIG. 1. 


not directly in line with the body, cut it down¬ 
ward into the water, and draw it in toward the 
face, at the same time shooting forward the 
right arm to its full length. Do not check 
the movement of the left arm, but pull it 
down along the body. Both arms should be 
stretched to their utmost in opposite directions 
at the same moment. Then throw the left 
arm out of the water and forward, as at first, 
meanwhile drawing the right hand straight in 










38 


How to Swim 


toward the body. Thus the right hand is 
working straight backward and forward, while 
the other is hauling the body through the 
water, as it were, and returning through the 
air for another grip. 

A variation may be made by using thd left 
arm as one would use an oar, from positions 
one to two; but this is very tiring, although 



ENGLISH RACING STROKE. FiQ. 2. 


effective for a short distance. Another varia¬ 
tion, also tiring and also effective for ‘ ‘ dashes, ’ ’ 
is performed by sweeping the right arm down¬ 
ward as one sweeps a paddle in canoeing. 

Still another variation is a slight flip of the 
left hand, immediately after entering the water, 
which brings it with the least resistance to a 
position near the body. Analysed, the move- 
















How to Swim 


39 


ments of this little stroke are three: a vertical 
cut as the back of the hand enters the water, 
a horizonal cut, with the palm down, which 
carries the hand in toward the body, and 
another vertical cut which brings the hand into 
position to haul the water down along the 
breast. These three movements must be done 
in a flash, however, for they are only incidental 
to the stroke. 

The breathing, which is very important in 
this stroke, is regulated as follows: from posi¬ 
tion two to one when the left arm is brought 
out of the water, the head sinks below the 
surface, and no air can be inhaled or exhaled. 
As soon as the left arm cuts into the water at 
position one, however, the head comes up, 
which allows the swimmer to eject from the 
mouth the water taken in at the previous 
movement. At once he must take in a good 
mouthful of air. 

Having practised these movements until 
they are as natural to you as walking, you are 
ready to learn the leg stroke. 

The first part of this difficult stroke resembles 


40 


How to Swim 


in a measure the working of the blades of a 
pair of scissors. Lie upon your right side. 
Carry your right leg as far as possible behind 
you and your left leg as far as possible in front 
of you. Bend the right knee so as to increase 
to the utmost the distance from the toe of the 
right foot to the heel of the left foot. Hold 
the right foot in line with the leg, but the left 
foot at right angles with the leg. 

Close the legs sharply toward one another— 
not quite together,—bringing the right toe to a 
position at the left of the left instep. 

Now comes the second part of the stroke, 
called the “ double kick.” Just before the 
legs touch, move the left foot sharply to the 
left (that is to say, upward, as you lie upon 
your side in the water) and the right foot 
sharply to the right (that is, downward) and 
then bring them together. This double move¬ 
ment creates a little whirlpool between the legs 
which shoots the swimmer forward. It must 
be performed very rapidly, for the whole leg 
action must be timed to correspond with the 
second movement of the arms. 




RACING STROKE. SHOWING ARM AND LEG MOVEMENTS. 







42 


How to Swim 


During the first movement of the a m , the 
legs are spread forward and back to their firT 
position. 

To be effective, this stroke must be done in 
perfect form. The left arm must take hold of 
the water at the instant when the legs begin 
to close together. It is important, also, that 
the arc described by the feet shall be as wide as 
possible. All other conditions being equal, the 
swimmer whose legs are longest and strongest 
will win the race. For the force of the 
“ shoot ” is dependent upon the violence with 
which the legs are brought together upon the 
“ wedge ” of water between them. It is the 
pressure against this “ wedge ” of the thighs, 
knees, calves, insides of the soles, and soles 
themselves that urges the swimmer forward. 
If you care to see an illustration of this shoot, 
open a pair of scissors and attempt to cut trans¬ 
versely the corner of an iron safe, or of some 
other hard, smooth object. As you close the 
scissors you will find that they push your hand 
away from the object. 

In swimming, the body corresponds to the 




How to Swim 


43 


scissors, and the water between the legs corre¬ 
sponds to the corner. Water, however, though 
not compressible, is stable to only a small de¬ 
gree. For this reason—and for others not as 
important—it is necessary to take in as large a 
wedge as possible between the legs, so that the 
base of motion may not escape before it be¬ 
comes useful. 

This is substantially the stroke used by all 
the well-known English racing men. Of course 
each racer has his particular variation, but the 
essentials—the palm of the left hand away 
from the body, and the “ double kick ”—are 
common among all. 

In connection with this racing stroke it may 
be well to describe the best method of making 
the turn at the end of a bath in a race. It is an 
important piece of knowledge, for many races 
consist of “lengths ” of baths. If in a bath sixty 
feet long, for example, a race of one hundred 
yards is to be contested, the swimmers must 
turn four times; and he who knows the proper 
method of turning may gain a couple of feet at 
each turn and not “ get out of his stride.” 


44 


How to Swim 


As you swim, gauge your distance so that 
your last stroke in each “ length ” brings the 
tips of the right fingers against the wall of 
the bath. Quickly throw the left hand over the 
right and lay the left palm flat upon the wall. 
The friction will give you leverage enough to 
throw your head over your arms and down be¬ 
neath the surface. Meanwhile draw your feet 
under you, so that when you have dived and 
turned you will be crouched, as it were, for a 
spring, with the soles of your feet against the 
side of the bath. Then make your spring with 
all your force with the right arm stretched for¬ 
ward, and slightly upward. As you are about 
to emerge, bring the left arm into the first 
position, ready to continue your stroke. By 
this “ shoot’’ you may cover ten or fifteen 
feet in an instant, while those swimmers who 
do not know the “trick ” are blundering against 
the side and pushing off feebly, with legs not 
in position for a spring. 

THE AMERICAN RACING STROKE 
In the arm movements the American stroke 
differs very slightly from the English racing 



How to Swim 


45 


stroke. In America the palm of the left hand 
is held toward the body instead of outwards. 
In the leg movement, however, the American 
stroke lacks the “ double kick.” 

THE INDIAN OR “ TRUDGEON ” STROKE 

Another favorite racing stroke in America is 
the Indian stroke, otherwise called the hand¬ 
over-hand. This is a very tiring style for the 
arms, and although effective for a hundred 
yards it is useless for a greater distance. The 
modus operandi is to lie on your breast with the 
legs drawn up and throw forward the right arm 
with the hand flat on the water. This move¬ 
ment, if done quickly and with force, slightly 
turns your body upon the right side. While 
you are throwing out the hand at the same 
time kick out the legs, as in the breast stroke; 
then, as the right arm sinks, press the hand 
swiftly downwards towards the feet, which 
help to keep the body up. As the left arm is 
in turn thrown forward, the body turns upon 
the left side and the legs are drawn up again 
preparatory for the next stroke. Thus the 


4 6 


How to Swim 


swimmer writhes through the water with great 
rapidity. In England this stroke was intro¬ 
duced by the swimmer Trudgeon, who is said 
to have picked it up in South America. He 
brought it to high perfection, and it is some¬ 
times called, after him, the Trudgeon stroke. 

In general, with regard to all racing strokes, 
it may be said that, without a great deal of 
practice upon the part of the swimmer, they 
cannot be thoroughly learned. To be a good 
racer among racers, moreover, a swimmer must 
keep up his practice constantly. 

SWIMMING LIKE A DOG 

The name of this method explains the pro¬ 
cess. The swimmer lies on his chest, and 
moves his legs and hands alternately, exactly 
as a dog does when swimming. The legs are 
kicked out straight to the rear, the sole of each 
foot pressing the water alone, while the other 
foot is being drawn toward the body. The 
left foot is thrust backward while the left hand 
is being thrust forward and the right hand and 
leg move together. The hands paddle in front 


How to Swim 


47 


of the breast, but the stroke is short and 
abrupt, not long and sweeping. 

The chief use of this stroke is that it affords 
a change of action to the muscles, and if the 
swimmer has to traverse any considerable 
distances, he will find that a few occasional 
minutes employed in swimming like a dog will 
be very useful in relieving the strain on the 
muscles of both legs and arms. 

FLOATING 

Floating is the posture of rest for a swim¬ 
mer. No down bed is as soft as the ocean; 
none is as comfortable—after the swimmer has 
learned how to balance himself in the water. 
This matter of balance, however, is somewhat 
difficult for the beginner to manage. The de¬ 
sirable posture is that which will enable the 
swimmer to lie motionless with his mouth—not 
necessarily any other part of him—above the 
waves. 

Obviously, he should lie on his back. His 
forehead should be held deep in the water; 
his mouth and chin should be held high. His 


4 8 


How to Swim 


chest should be as full of air as possible. His 
back should be “ hollowed/’ 

In all methods of floating these things are 
essential; but in regard to the arms and legs 
there is some latitude for posture. The arms 
and legs may be stretched out as far apart as 
possible—in what is called the “ spread-eagle ” 
position. If the legs show a tendency to sink, 
they may be bent at the knees, so that the feet 
and calves hang limply down into the greater 
pressure of water beneath the surface, whereby 
they are more strongly upborne. The arms 
may be folded upon the chest or behind the 
back. The latter, indeed, is my favourite posi¬ 
tion for them; they lift the chest and head, so 
that the water does not wash over the face, and 
at the same time lower the centre of gravity, 
so that the body is less likely to turn over. 

The prettiest position for floating, however, 
is that in which the body is held rigid in a 
straight line, with the legs crossed, the toes 
and the lower part of the face peeping above 
the water, and the arms lying above the head 
joined by locked thumbs, or at the sides. If 


How to Swim 


49 


the body seems likely to roll over, a slight 
stroke with the hand upon the side which is 
lowering is sufficient to maintain the balance. 
In this position the arms form a counterbalance 
to the legs, and the body is poised upon a pivot, 
as it were, beneath the shoulders. An experi¬ 
enced swimmer can maintain the posture for 
half an hour. 

Many persons with heavy bones find diffi¬ 
culty— sometimes insuperable difficulty — in 
floating. Such swimmers may perhaps find 
support if they will lock their toes, separate 
their knees, and draw their heels close to their 
bodies. 

In fresh water, few swimmers can float at all. 

It is in floating that the buoyancy of the air 
in the lungs is most noticeable. At every in¬ 
spiration the body rises an inch, at every 
expiration it relapses to its former position. 

SWIMMING IN CLOTHES 

The ability to swim in “ street clothes ** is 
very valuable. At a moment’s notice it may 
be a necessary accomplishment for anyone in 

4 


50 


How to Swim 


saving his own life or in plunging into the 
water to save another. Swimming in clothes 
has been practised for many years in the French 
and German armies. It should be encouraged 
by everyone interested in the art. 

Of course, it should not be attempted by a 
beginner. Not until a swimmer is thoroughly 
at home in the water should he enter it with 
his clothes on—and then he should be in bath¬ 
ing costume, except for his leather shoes. 
Shoes are the most cumbrous part of his at¬ 
tire ; if he learns to swim with them on, he 
will probably be able to sustain himself fully 
dressed. 

Having overcome the difficulty of the shoes, 
the swimmer may add trousers to his uniform 
—and so on, increasing his weight by a gar¬ 
ment at a time until he is in full street costume, 
even to his scarf-pin. 

HOW TO REMOVE CLOTHES IN 'THE WATER 

After he has learned to wear clothes in the 
water, the swimmer ought to learn how to take 
them off. 


How to Swim 


5i 


First come the shoes. Lie upon the back, 
draw the right foot as high as possible, lay it 
upon the left thigh, undo—or, better, cut—the 
laces, and with the left toe push the shoe partly 
off. Do not push it entirely off, for you will 
need the stiff sole in pushing off the other shoe 
—which is of course unlaced thoroughly before 
it is cast off. A few shakes of the feet will rid 
you of the half-removed shoes. 

Next raise yourself erect and “ tread water,” 
while you are taking off your coat. Slip the 
left shoulder and arm partly out of their sleeve, 
carry the right arm behind the body, grasp 
with the right hand the end of the left coat 
sleeve, and draw the sleeve off. To remove 
the coat is then easy; when you are free of it 
roll it up and throw it away, so that it may 
not entangle you. Next remove the waistcoat 
—a trifling matter. 

The trousers are the most difficult to remove 
—and, if, possible they should be slit down 
the sides with a knife. If the swimmer has no 
knife, let him cast his suspenders from his 
shoulders, unbutton the trousers, and gradually 


5 2 


How to Swim 


push them down over the legs, first with the 
right hand on the right side, then with the other 
hand on the opposite side, meanwhile sustain¬ 
ing the body with a slight “ sculling ” motion 
of the hands. Keep the head well back all the 
time, and do not attempt to raise it high in 
the water. Perform all the motions deliber¬ 
ately and without jerking. 

It is better not to remove underclothing, 
particularly in cold weather, for a person ven¬ 
turing unclad into water at a low temperature 
is almost certain to catch a chill. 

Women find greater difficulties than men, in 
removing their clothes, but if they can tread 
water and keep cool they can take off one gar¬ 
ment after another until they are free of en¬ 
tangling silks. It is well for a woman to loosen 
her skirts and swim out of them before she 
takes off her shoes. 

UPRIGHT SWIMMING 

The system of upright swimming is in use 
in France and Germany, chiefly in the army, 
the navy, and the preparatory schools of 


How to Swim 


53 


these institutions; in crossing small but deep 
streams, it has been found valuable. 

The upright swimmer enters the water until 
he is beyond his depth. He bears his chin 
high, throws his head back upon his shoulders, 
and allows himself to sink until the water 
touches his lower lip, where he holds himself 
suspended, with arms stretched out and hori¬ 
zontal. To advance he sweeps his hands from 
front to rear, somewhat as in the enter-water 
stroke, and at the same time moves his legs 
somewhat as he moves them in walking, lifting 
the knees slightly higher, however, than he 
lifts them upon the land, and pressing back¬ 
wards as strongly as possible with the whole 
leg. 

TREADING WATER 

When a swimmer desires to raise his head or 
arms high out of the water for any purpose— 
to reconnoitre, to search for a drowning person, 
to grasp a rope or a branch above his head, to 
eat (during a long swim)—he supports himself 
upright with strokes of his feet alone, and this 
process is called “ treading water." 


54 


How to Swim 


There are several methods of treading water, 
but common to all is the erect position of the 



TREADING WATER. 


body, with the head thrown slightly back, and 
the inflated chest. The main difference be¬ 
tween the methods is in the leg strokes. 


































How to Swim 


55 


According to one method, the swimmer 
places his hands upon his hips, and, with his 
legs, thrusts downward in a stroke somewhat 
like the leg movement of the breast stroke. 
If the swimmer paddles downward with his 
arms as well as his legs he can raise his body 
as far as the shoulders. 

Between the strokes, however, it will sink 
again. To maintain it at a certain height, the 
swimmer must move his legs alternately, very 
much as he moves them in climbing a flight of 
stairs with very high steps. 

The arms may hang at the sides, be folded 
across the chest, be placed akimbo, or be 
spread out horizontally and used to sustain 
the body. 

By treading water a swimmer can sustain 
himself for a long time. It is in this position, 
too, that, in case of an accidental bath, he sup¬ 
ports himself while he removes his coat, waist¬ 
coat, and trousers. 

BREATHING 

A sound method of breathing is essential to 
good swimming; yet many otherwise excellent 


56 


How to Swim 


swimmers, misled, possibly, by treatises upon 
hygiene, and also by the methods essential to 
other sports, take in air improperly. 

A swimmer should breathe not through the 
nose but through the mouth. A moment of 
thought will make the reasons for this clear to 
anyone. In the first place, amid the weaves, 
any one of which may close in an instant the 
passages to the lungs, the most rapid method 
of inhalation is the best. Again, water acci¬ 
dentally drawn into the mouth is easily ex¬ 
pelled or, in case of absolute need, swallowed; 
but if the nasal passages be filled, the discom¬ 
fort causes most swimmers to gasp and choke, 
and causes beginners utterly to lose confidence. 

Keep the mouth open, then, in the water. 
It is well to practise this before attempting to 
swim. Take in a deep breath and sink beneath 
the surface. Force air from the lungs into the 
mouth at some pressure and open the mouth. 
You will find, if you do this properly, that the 
water will not enter. The difficulty, however, 
is in opposing to the pressure of the water an 
exactly equal pressure of air; if you breathe 


How to Swim 


57 


too hard, the air will escape from your lungs 
and rise through the nose in bubbles to the 
surface and your lungs will presently be empty; 
if you do not maintain enough pressure, the 
water will push into the mouth, and if it does, 
close the mouth at once and come to the 
surface. 

When you are accustomed to keeping your 
mouth open continuously, under water, apply 
your new habit to swimming. 

The times for breathing, in the various 
strokes, are prescribed, as it were, by the posi¬ 
tions of the head and chest during various 
movements. In general, when the motions of 
the arms tend to expand the chest, the swim¬ 
mer must inhale; when they tend to contract 
the chest, he must exhale. 

In the side stroke and breast stroke, inhale 
air while you are pushing forward your arms, 
between the first and second positions, and 
exhale it as you are drawing the arms to the 
sides. 

In the back stroke, inhale while you are 
throwing the arms behind you, and exhale as 


58 


How to Swim 


you are sweeping to your sides; or, if you are 
not using your arms, take in air when you 
thrust out your legs. 

In the racing strokes the head is submerged, 
except during the moment in each stroke when 
the left hand is lifted. The swimmer must 
expel the used-up air through his nose, and 
inhale a new supply through his mouth, all in 
that moment. In this stroke, also, it is well 
partly to close the mouth. 

Some persons do not make a complete in¬ 
spiration and expiration at every stroke; but I 
have found that if the movements of the swim¬ 
mer are properly deliberate, a thorough change 
of air in the lungs is desirable as often as once 
in every set of movements. 

The swimmer should be careful completely 
to fill and altogether to exhaust his lungs at 
every breath. 





CHAPTER IV 

UNDER WATER 

H ITHERTO we have considered those 
forms of swimming which enable man 
to keep afloat. But there is another branch of 
the art not less useful. Incidentally, it is pro¬ 
ductive of effects that are delightful to both 
swimmers and observers. This branch com¬ 
prises swimming underwater and the exercises 
which the ability to swim under water makes 
possible—diving and the fancy strokes. 

SWIMMING UNDER WATER 

As far as strokes are concerned there is little 
difference between swimming beneath the sur¬ 
face and swimming with head raised above it. 
The under-water swimmer uses the breast 
stroke. But instead of lifting his head he 


59 



6o 


How to Swim 


holds it in line with his body, or, when he 
desires to descend, directs it downward; and 
instead of sweeping the water with palms 
almost parallel to the surface, he oars himself 
along with vertical palms, and thus gains 
power in his stroke. 

For the average American or European, 
swimming under water is merely a pleasure. 
A few persons, only, owe their lives to the ex¬ 
pertness of themselves or of others in moving 
beneath the surface. As a pleasure, however, 
the art is well worth the trouble involved in 
the learning. 

Expertness in it depends mainly upon lung 
expansion. The swimmer who can take into 
his lungs the greatest quantity of air, in 
proportion to his size, all other conditions 
being equal, can remain longest under water. 
Other things are not always equal, but in gen¬ 
eral this rule holds good. Therefore whoso¬ 
ever desires to be a good under-water swimmer 
will do well to increase the depth of his lungs 
with strong inhalations drawn many times 
daily. 


How to Swim 


61 

It is best to begin swimming beneath the 
surface at the depth of your shoulders. Be¬ 
fore you sink for a swim, inhale two or three 
long breaths and exhale them again with some 
force, so that every particle of foul air may be 
expelled from the lungs. Then fill the lungs 
to the utmost, lift your hands above your 
head, bend over rapidly, plunge your hands 
and head down, and lift your feet. Begin to 
swim at once, direct your head downward, and 
with the legs push upwards, for the tendency 
of the body is to rise. Take long, deliberate 
strokes. When you find that you can no 
longer retain all the air in your lungs, let a 
little escape through your nose, and that will 
relieve you, so that you can continue longer 
submerged. When you must rise to the sur¬ 
face, throw your head and bend your body 
upwards, and you will slide to the surface in 
an instant. Blow the water violently out of 
your nose and mouth before you attempt to 
inhale a new breath. 

Be careful, however,—and I would have all 
my readers attend to this warning—be careful 


62 


How to Swim 


not to stay under water too long. It is easy 
to bring serious misfortune upon yourself by 
straining the various organs and muscles in¬ 
volved in the process of holding your breath. 
To this error expert swimmers are particularly 
liable, and there are cases on record of swim¬ 
mers competing for prizes who asphyxiated 
themselves, exhausted all the air from their 
lungs, lacked strength to rise for a new supply, 
and would have been drowned had not assist¬ 
ance been at hand. 

Begin easily, then, with a few seconds of 
immersion, and increase the time only in pro¬ 
portion to your growing powers of holding 
your breath. You will find that while swim¬ 
ming under water you are not able to remain 
without a fresh breath as long as you could 
when you merely sank to the bottom and re¬ 
mained quiet. Do not be discouraged and try 
to equal while exercising the record for “ stay¬ 
ing under” that you may have made while 
lying still. To do that is impossible. Be 
satisfied if you can swim for half a minute 
without rising—most persons cannot do much 


How to Swim 


63 


better than this. Only the best swimmers can 
remain submerged for two minutes or two 
minutes and a half, and few of them can ac¬ 
complish so much while moving. 

When you have begun to be accustomed to 
the mysterious region of dim lights and indis¬ 
tinct objects, you will find much pleasure in 
flinging a coin or some bright object a dozen 
feet from you, in waiting until it has settled to 
the bottom, and in swimming under the surface 
to pick it up. Some swimmers become very 
expert at this, so expert that they can scatter 
scores of coins in a tank, or a prescribed area 
in the open water, and recover every one. 

Professor J. Finney holds the record for this 
sport. He picked up eighty-two sunken coins 
with his mouth while his arms were tied be¬ 
hind him. Professor F. E. Dalton has picked 
up seventy-four plates from a diver’s tank 
ten feet deep. 


DIVING 

Under-water swimming is the last step to 
the most exhilarating as well as the most pic- 


6 4 


How to Swim 


turesque feat of a swimmer—diving. I know 
no pleasure more delightful than the rush 
through the air, the plunge into the cool, soft 
water, and either the downward course into 
the regions of darkness, mystery, and cold, or 
the immediate glide to the surface, difficult to 
accomplish and graceful to the eye of the 
spectator. 

Perfection in diving depends upon the per¬ 
fect balance of the bocy. The diver must 
enter the water in a straight line. His head, 
body, legs, and feet should successively plunge 
at the exact point wh^re his hands first im¬ 
pinged the surface. He must not fall length¬ 
wise upon the water, he must not bend his 
legs, nor hold them separated. He must not 
make a splash. He must cut the water as 
smoothly as if he were a lance hurled point 
first. 

Most ordinary swimmers know this in a gen¬ 
eral way, but how many can put their know¬ 
ledge into practice ? Not many. At our 
watering places and even in our swimming 
tanks we see few divers who do not drop 


How to Swim 


65 


through the air in a wriggling mass, with legs 
and arms thrust in various directions, each 
certain to make a splash of its own as it strikes 
vater—if indeed the whole body does not flop 
down at full length with a hollow sound; in 
which case, if the dive has been from any 
height, the diver becomes a sore man with a 
reddened skin. 

All this awkwardness in diving is due to 
hap-hazard training. The dive is a feat that 
must be learned gradually, and if it be thus 
learned it is within the compass of everyone. 

It is best to learn diving from a flight of 
steep steps descending into the water, or some 
similar foothold. Begin from a step that is 
somewhat below the surface, so that your 
knees are covered. Stand upon this step with 
your feet together. Raise your hands above 
your head, presenting your palms to the front, 
and lock your thumbs. Bend over—without 
bending your knees—until the tips of your 
fingers touch the water, and fall in. After a 
few trials you will learn to give yourself a 
slight impulse forward so that your body will 


66 


How to Swim 


not “ slap ” upon the water but will follow 
after your hands and head. 

Next day stand upon a step a few inches 
above the water. It is well at this stage to 
have the assistance of others—preferably two 
persons. Their function is to seize your ankles 
and, as you plunge, to lift them, so that your 
body may describe a slight parabola before it 
enters the water. But they must be careful, 
on the other hand, not to lift too strongly; 
if they do, you will turn a half somersault 
and enter the water upon your back—a most 
bewildering process to the beginner. 

After a little time you will learn to throw 
your own legs upward. When you can do this 
without overbalancing yourself, begin to pay 
attention to rising from the dive. At the in¬ 
stant when your head enters the water, lift 
your hands—still joined—toward the surface, 
and at the same time curve your body up¬ 
wards, so that you may immediately rise to the 
surface. The tips of a good diver’s fingers 
appear just as his feet are vanishing. 

While you are learning this, do not forget 



















68 


How to Swim 


“ form/' You will probably have begun 
naturally, by this time, to spring from your 
toes, bending your knees slightly for a start. 
You may also have learned to unlock your 
hands and to begin your spring with arms be- 



SHALLOW DIVE. 


hind you ready to be swung into place above 
your head as you leave your foothold. The 
best divers take their position “ in the air ”— 
arms straight above the head, head well back 
between the arms, body — with back very 
slightly hollowed — following, legs straight, 
pressed close together, and rigid, feet slanted 
so as to be as nearly as possible in line with 
the legs. The illustration shows the position 
excellently. 

Learn to spring high in the air and to de- 

















How to Swim 


69 


sCribe with the body a curve graceful before 
you enter the water. Learn also to strike the 
surface at a point as far as possible from your 



foothold. Learn to hurl yourself forward, so 
as not to make a splash as you impinge the 
surface. 

If you are going to swim under water after 



















70 


How to Swim 


you have dived, refresh your lungs by drawing 
a few long breaths as you refresh them for 
ordinary under-water swimming. As you ex¬ 
hale, bend far forward; as you inhale bring 
yourself to an erect position. At the third in¬ 
halation make your spring—as long and slant¬ 
ing as possible. 

So much for shallow diving. When you are 
perfect in it, increase the height above the 
water of your base. Begin slowly, however, 
and proceed slowly. The increase in height 
of two feet a day is enough. 

As you plunge from greater heights, you 
will instinctively adjust your movements to the 
new conditions. You will not spring as high; 
you will push yourself out farther. Do not 
forget, however, constantly to practise rising 
to the surface at once. You should be able to 
dive with your body almost perpendicular from 
a height of thirty feet, and yet so to curve your 
body upwards, after your head has entered the 
water, that your hands emerge just as your 
toes disappear. Ability to compass this may 
be of service to you in case you are obliged at 


How to Swim 


7 1 


some time to plunge from a height into shallow 
water. 

When you can dive from a point thirty feet 
above the water, cease to increase the height. 
Thirty feet is enough. Training at that height 
will enable you to dive from greater heights in 
case of emergency; and to risk the dangers of 
entering the water from great elevations merely 
for the sake of performing a thrilling feat is 
absurd. Nor is it well to attempt too “ shal¬ 
low ” a dive from any height above six feet. 
Many serious accidents have occurred to pro¬ 
fessional swimmers who have launched them¬ 
selves from heights of forty or fifty feet into 
tanks less than six feet deep. A very slight 
loss of balance will cause a diver from a great 
height to enter the water badly, and then he is 
done for; if he strikes the water fiatlings he is 
certain to lose his breath temporarily, perhaps 
permanently. If he strikes it head first, being 
ill-prepared for his rise, he is likely to make an 
involuntary “ deep ” dive, and fracture his 
skull upon the bottom. 


72 


How to Swim 


THE DIVING-BOARD 

If anything is pleasanter than plain diving, 
it is diving from a spring-board. The knack 
in this exercise is to pull yourself together in 
the air, turn head downward, straighten out, 
balance yourself, and enter the water without 
making any splash or any sound louder than a 
“chug" It is a beautiful exercise, and to be 
performed in perfection only by him who has 
practised carefully. 

DIVING BACKWARDS 

The back dive is not very useful, but it is 
highly ornamental. Moreover, inasmuch as it 
teaches a learner -to be at home in the water 
under disconcerting conditions it is worth 
learning. 

Begin, as you began with the ordinary dive, 
standing upon a submerged step in a flight of 
stairs—or, if no step is at hand, a rock will do. 
Take your place with your back to the water, 
lift your hands above your head, with palms to 
the front and thumbs locked, as in the position 
for learning the forward dive. 



POSITION FOR BACKWARD DIVE. 


73 









































74 


How to Swim 


Throw back your head, bend backwards as 
far as you can and fall in, making as much 
effort as possible to strike the water with your 
hands first and to follow them with your head. 

If you have never before plunged backwards 
you will find yourself confused as you penetrate 
deep into the water. For a moment you will 
lose the sense of direction. In general this 
moment is not productive of disaster, but I 
have known of cases that were; of back-divers 
who, in blind efforts to reach the surface, 
struggled downwards instead of upwards and 
forthwith lost their self-possession, took air 
into their lungs, and, but for assistance, would 
have perished. Therefore it is perhaps well to 
warn beginners in back-diving that they are 
likely at first to be confused, and to inform 
them that if they will be contented to lie still 
for a moment, their natural buoyancy will 
bring them to the surface. After a few trials 
they will learn to raise their hands and to 
curve their bodies upwards, and so come to the 
surface immediately, as they come after a for¬ 
ward dive. 


How to Swim 


75 


The main difficulty in back-diving, as in 
forward diving, is in balancing the body. The 
beginner finds difficulty in raising his feet at 
the spring, and either falls awkwardly upon 
his back, or overbalances himself, turns a half 
summerset, and comes down struggling, face 
foremost. The good back-diver springs from 
his toes, swinging his arms above his head as 
he rises from the leap, describes an arc with 
his body, slips into the water with hardly a 
splash, and is immediately at the surface. 
Throughout the feat the body is not held 
straight as it is in a forward dive, but is curved 
backwards. 

Having compassed the back-dive from the 
water level, try a greater elevation—curving 
the body slightly less as you make a higher 
start—but do not attempt anything above 
fifteen feet. 

It is possible to make a variation of this 
dive, when springing from a board or wharf 
which projects over the water, by continuing 
to bend the body backwards after it has en¬ 
tered the water. Thus the swimmer’s course 


76 


How to Swim 


will be deflected backwards, he will glide be¬ 
neath his starting-point and emerge nearer the 
shore than this point. It is not well, however, 
to attempt this feat upon a wharf that is sup¬ 
ported by piles, for to avoid these in a back¬ 
ward “ shoot,” when the swimmer cannot see 
them, is not easy. 

THE PLUNGE 

It is possible to plunge (that is, to dive and 
“ shoot ” under water) seventy feet, but the 
average swimmer, if he has plunged forty feet, 
has done well. The two essentials for plung¬ 
ing are: good wind and ability to float on the 
breast. When the swimmer has pushed off 
from the spring-board to dive shallow and float 
along on the surface until his wind gives out, 
care should be taken to stiffen the legs by 
pointing the toes out behind you, and to keep 
the head well down between the arms. Do 
not attempt to look up before the plunge is 
finished, as this retards your progress. 

TO TWIST IN THE DIVE 
Stand with your back to the water. Bend 


How to Swim 


77 


your knees and your elbows. Spring, and, 
just before your feet leave the ground, give 
your body the twisting impulse that will result 
in a half revolution in the air and bring you to 
the water, face downward. You can also throw 
your body to the right or left, and can enter 
the water at either hand by giving yourself the 
proper impulse in starting. 

“ THE TURTLE DIVE ” 

Stand facing—or with your back toward— 
the water at the edge of a wharf or rock or 
tank not more than two feet above the water. 
Stoop, embrace your knees with your arms, 
and tumble in. 


JUMPING 

To descend into water from a very high 
elevation, do not dive. Jump, presenting 
your feet instead of your head to the shock of 
meeting the water. Water looks soft, but 
falling upon it with a great impetus is only a 
little less likely to be fatal than falling upon 
solid earth. 


78 


How to Swim 


Therefore the jumper must be extremely 
careful to balance himself properly. The cor¬ 
rect position is as follows: the feet and legs 
straight and pressed close together; the arms 
pressed upon the sides; the head thrown some¬ 
what back, so as to find protection behind the 
shoulders. In this position a man dropping 
vertically will pierce through the water like a 
wedge, but the slightest deflection from the 
perpendicular is extremely likely to be the 
cause of his death. 

THE “ FOOT DIVE ” 

Stand upon a slight elevation facing the 
water. Spring forwards and at the same time 
throw the hands above the head and the feet 
in advance of the body. When your feet 
strike the water incline them upwards, and 
you will glide to the surface, as you do in 
making a regular dive, except that you will 
proceed feet foremost. 

CREEPING 

Creeping is invaluable for avoiding entangle¬ 
ment by weeds should you find yourself sud- 



How to Swim 


79 


denly among them. Being on your stomach, 
cast your hands forwards and your feet back¬ 
wards, but close together, and thus advance, 
extending your arms and hands as far from 
your breast as possible. Press your fingers 
close together, and turn the palms of your 
hands—a little bent—towards the bottom ; for, 
being in this posture, if you draw toward your 
breast with your hands and arms the water 
that is before you, by that you give time to 
the rest of your body to advance. 

TO SWIM WITH THE LEGS FASTENED 
TOGETHER 

The ankles being bound, either by weeds or 
otherwise, turn on your back, and place your 
hands across upon your breast, for in that pos¬ 
ture you may gain the shore, by striking your 
knees one against the other, holding your legs 
meanwhile as high in the water as you can. 

RECORDS : RACING 

Possibly a few records for fast swimming 
may be interesting to the reader. The follow¬ 
ing were made with the racing strokes: 


2 S-fik I 1 C, 


8o How to Swim 


YDS. MIN. SEC. 

50 straightaway. 3rf Am. 

50 (2 turns, still water). 2gf 

50 straightaway. 25f 

100 “ Stillwater... 1 15^ 

100 “ across stream 1 07! 

100 (7 turns, still water). 1 01^ 


(still water), 
(with current). 


RECORDS: SWIMMING ON BACK 


YDS. MIN. SEC. 

IOO. . I 20| 

800. l6 29 


RECORDS : UNDER WATER 
Fifty yards can be done quicker on the 
breast stroke under than above water, because 
the body and head being entirely submerged 
are therefore no extra weight to carry. The 
fastest and best stroke under water is the 
breast stroke. Fifty yards can be covered in 
sixty-five seconds. Very few swimmers can 
remain under water long enough to do a hun¬ 
dred yards. 


A SINGLE STROKE 

How far can a man propel himself in a single 
stroke ? I have covered twenty feet myself in 
a single breast stroke. The good average 







How to Swim 


8 


swimmer ought to be able to do just double 
his own length from feet to arms extended. 
The longer the arms and legs, the bigger the 
sweep, therefore the longer the stroke. When 
the swimmer has made the strokes from the 
arms extended to the second and third posi¬ 
tions and back to the first, let him take a good 
breath, drop the head between the arms under 
water, and float; thus he ought to cover fifteen 
feet. Good practice is to fix a certain distance 
and see in how few strokes you can pass over it. 

THE CRAMP 

The cramp is an involuntary, painful con¬ 
traction of the muscles of legs and arms, 
brought on by cold, weariness, nervousness, or 
other causes. It is particularly severe in the 
water; it knots the muscles of swimmers, draws 
up the limbs, and renders them useless. It is 
dangerous to even the best expert. 

The following rules are the most important 
to prevent cramp in the water: 

ist. Never enter the water while the body 

is heated, as the sudden immersion from heat 
6 


82 


How to Swim 


to cold will affect the whole system and induce 
cramp. People have been known to lose their 
lives simply through not obeying this rule. 

2d. Never stand too long on the shore after 
leaving the water without drying yourself. 
Particularly with delicate people exposure in 
bathing dress to the cold winds brings on a 
dangerous habit of shivers, resulting in cramp. 

3d. Never stay too long in the water. 
Over-exposure to water is a dangerous practice 
for people who have not a strong constitution. 
As soon as you begin to feel cold, leave the 
water and dress immediately, or you will be 
quite likely to find your legs and arms contract¬ 
ing painfully. On leaving the water, with a 
rough towel either rub yourself or get someone 
to rub you very hard in order to make the 
blood circulate, and you will soon feel vigorous. 

4th. Never enter deep water when you are 
tired. 

5th. Do not dread the cramp. I have 
known imaginative people to bring on the con¬ 
traction merely by expecting it—by “ sugges¬ 
tion ” as a psychologist would say. 



How to Swim 


83 


6th. If suffering from a weak heart or any 
other complaint, never go into the water unless 
you have consulted a doctor beforehand. 

7th. Never enter the water immediately 
after having eaten a hearty meal. Two hours 
at least should be allowed between eating and 
immersion. 

Of course the arms and legs only are subject 
to the cramp, and the only remedy against it 
is to turn instantly upon the back, kicking the 
legs violently out of water. This will straighten 
the muscles. Rub the affected part with your 
hands for a few moments. 

The principal thing is to prevent yourself 
from getting excited or frightened. Keep as 
cool as you can. Many a person has needlessly 
lost his life by going into a flurry when seized 
with the cramp—although help was at hand. 
In case you are unable to help yourself, hollow 
out for assistance and keep afloat upon your 
back until it arrives. 

SWIMMING IN THE WAVES 

The breast and back strokes are the best for 


8 4 


How to Swim 


distance; one can rise and fall with the waves 
on the back without getting any water in the 
mouth. In a very rough sea, the breast stroke 
is better. I have found it wise to rise with 
the first and second wave and dive through the 
third, as that is always the highest. In en¬ 
tering the surf, too, wait for a high wave; rush 
toward it and dive through it before it breaks, 
and you will probably find yourself beyond the 
line of breakers when you emerge. 

THE TIDE 

Notice the set of the tide. When it is run¬ 
ning out, to swim a long way from shore is 
dangerous. It is a well-known fact even a 
first-class swimmer can make but little head¬ 
way against a strong tide. Therefore never 
swim out with the tide, unless you have a boat 
with you. Swim parallel with the shore, 
where you can always reach the bottom when 
feeling tired. 

But if the tide is running in, you need not 
have fear of venturing out for some distance. 
The tide will bring you back to shore. 


How to Swim 


85 


don’ts 

Don’t go in swimming if you are tired out 
from bicycle-riding or a long walk. 

Don’t go out farther than a depth equal to 
your own height if you are liable to heart 
failure. 

Don’t swim away from the crowd if you are 
not certain you are an adept swimmer. 

Don’t stay in the water a minute after you 
have become fatigued or chilled. 

Don’t let your friends dare you to swim 
farther than you have swum before. 

Don’t attempt to rescue another person from 
drowning unless you are a good swimmer your¬ 
self. 

Don’t feel that your duty demands that you 
plunge in after every person who is liable to 
be drowned; remember that a drowning man 
is a lunatic generally and is liable to drag you to 
your own death unless you are capable of float¬ 
ing with a heavy load under all circumstances. 

Don’t plunge into the water to save a drown¬ 
ing person without first shouting loudly for 
help. 


86 


How to Swim 


Don’t lose your equilibrium because a fellow- 
swimmer is in danger of drowning; confused 
heads cause more drownings than inability to 
swim. 

Don’t throw yourself into the water to rescue 
another if a rope or a boat is within reasonable 
reach. 

Don’t lose your courage or your head if you 
happen to find yourself too far out to swim 
back yourself; simply turn on your back, place 
your hands under your back, paddle with your 
feet, and, above all, breathe naturally. 

Don’t yell at a man in danger of drowning; 
the best swimmer will drown if subject to a 
sudden fright. 

Don’t get frightened if you have a cramp; a 
cramp always comes in an arm or a leg; so 
simply raise the cramped part out of the water, 
float easily and rub the cramped part for a few 
moments, when you will be all right once more. 

Don’t stand on the bank after a swim until 
you have had yourself dried off with a towel. 

Don’t go in swimming within three hours 
after eating. 


How to Swim 


87 


Don’t push another person into the water, 
with the foolish but popular notion that you 
can thus teach him to swim ; the best way is to 
let a person first get accustomed to being in 
the water, gradually going a little deeper. 

Don’t come in front of a drowning person to 
rescue him; approach him from the rear and 
grasp him by both biceps, and the more he 
struggles the more aid does he unknowingly 
give you to help him ashore. 

Don’t strike a man on the head to make him 
unconscious if he resents your aid while drown¬ 
ing; such a plan, though common in America, 
is as foolish as it is cruel and dangerous. 




CHAPTER V 

FANCY SWIMMING 
By Prof. F. E. Dalton 

FTER a swimmer has made himself pro- 



ficient in the breast, side, back, and 
racing strokes, and has learned to dive, his 
education in ordinary branches of the art is 
complete. Fancy swimming has few uses ex¬ 
cept for a swimmer’s own pleasure. Neverthe¬ 
less, feats in the water will always be popular 
both with swimmers and onlookers, and only 
good can result from a knowledge of them. 

The groundwork of trick and fancy swim¬ 
ming is the ability to float well on back and 
breast and to swim under water. 

SWIMMING, FEET FOREMOST, ON BACK 

Float on your back and scoop the water with 
your hands towards your head. When you 


88 





PROF. F. E. DALTON 

(Showing Preliminary Position of Racing Dive) 


* 











* 




How to Swim 89 

desire to turn either way, use only the hand 
opposite to the way you want to go. 

THE PROPELLER 


Float on your back, extend your arms 
straight behind your head, and use your hands 
in pushing the water behind you. Do not 



THE PROPELLER. 


shove it directly away, however, but bend your 
hands backward at the wrists and slightly hol¬ 
low the palms. Twist the wrists rapidly from 
one side to the other. You will find that this 
movement will propel you somewhat as the 
twisting of a screw propels a steamship. Or 
lie on your back with hands touching the side, 
then, with a movement of hands and wrists 
only, scoop the water towards the head which 
will propel your feet foremost. To direct your 













9 o 


How to Swim 


course, stop using that hand in the direction 
you want to go and put more force into the 
other hand. 

SWIMMING, FEET FOREMOST, ON BREAST 

To do this a person must be able to float on 
his breast. Draw the arms back, till the backs 
of the hands are touching the sides of the body 



SWIMMING, FEET FOREMOST, ON BREAST. 


and make a circular sweep of the arms through 
the water till the palms of the hands touch 
above the head; then bring the hands back to 
sides of the body. This is a very difficult 
feat and can be done only by a good deal of 
practice. 

The arms can be kept directly in front of 
you, and the water pushed away from you, and 
this will send you backwards. 


















How to Swim 


9 1 


Another way of swimming backwards is by 
using the legs alternately, drawing the water 
backwards by means of the toes and instep 
combined. Thus using your legs will enable 
you to float a great deal easier. 

SWIMMING WITH BOTH LEGS OUT OF THE 
WATER 


To learn this properly you must practise 
with one leg out of the water at a time. When 



SWIMMING WITH BOTH LEGS OUT OF THE WATER. 


holding one leg up in the air press the water 























9 2 


How to Swim 


downwards with the hands and wrists held 
beneath the hips. This movement will propel 
you along, at the same time will keep the body 
from sinking, because of the weight of the leg 
out of the water. Practise with each leg out 
of the water separately and after a time to¬ 
gether. Be careful to keep the hands a few 
inches under water. 

STEAM TUG 

This is done, lying on the back, by using the 
arms and hands to propel yourself along, head 
foremost, and raising each leg out of the water 
alternately and bringing it down flat on the 
water with force, which makes a big noise and 
splash. The trick is very diverting to the 
swimmer and onlookers. 

SWIMMING WITH ONE HAND OUT OF THE 
WATER 

Everyone ought to learn how to swim with 
one hand out of the water. The advantage of 
this knowledge to anyone who has a bundle to 
carry is obvious. 


How to Swim 


93 


Practise first swimming with one hand. Then 
hold a small article with the other hand out of 
the water. Try to do this for a short distance 
at first, and increase the distance every time 
you go into the water. After you are perfect 
in swimming in this style, try to hold a larger 
article in your hand—as, for example, a stick 
or a gun. 



SWIMMING WITH ONE HAND OUT OF THE WATER. 


This style of swimming will be very useful to 
you in many ways. Suppose in the case of an 
accident you fall in the water with your clothes 
on, you will be able to undress yourself* swim 
with one hand, and hold your clothes in the 
other, and in this manner to reach shore. 

In France, Germany, and Italy all soldiers 












94 


How to Swim 


are taught to swim with one hand above water, 
as a preparation for crossing rivers in case of 
war. 

THE SPINNING TOP 

To spin with ease, the person should be 
somewhat buoyant. The breast must be well 
inflated. The attitude is that of sitting with 



THE SPINNING TOP. 

the feet crossed. The motion is effected by 
embracing the water with each hand alter¬ 
nately on the same side. In order to turn to 
the right, the water must be embraced with 
each hand alternately on the right hand, and 
to turn to the left, on the left side. This 
action causes a circular or spinning movement, 
which increases in velocity as it is continued. 








How to Swim 


95 


THE ROLLER 

Of all the playful ways of swimming, this is 
the most curious. A stream or regular current 
is the most favourable situation for rolling, as 
it very much assists the turn. To achieve this, 
the swimmer must place himself in the centre 
of the stream; he must inflate his breast, and 
hold his head well backward; his legs may 
either lie together or be crossed; and he must 
exercise his hands in the same manner as in 
spinning. By this alternate action of the 
hands with the assistance of the stream, some 
individuals will roll along in an extraordinary 
and pleasing manner. 

TO SIT IN THE WATER 

Expert swimmers can do almost what they 
please in the water; they can walk, stand per¬ 
fectly upright, lie still, or even sit down. To 
sit, you must clasp both hands around your 
knees, draw in your breath, and so keep your 
breast inflated; hold your head upright and, 
'lifting up and depressing successively your 
arms and legs, by that motion sustain yourself. 


How to Swim 


q6 


STANDING UPON THE HANDS 

This feat is not as difficult in the water as it 
is on the land—yet it is not a feat to be accom¬ 
plished without practice. 

Wade in water up to your chest, inflate the 
lungs and turn over in the water head down¬ 
wards. Throw your feet up and hollow your 
back well, with head turned upwards and only 
the tips of the fingers upon the bottom. Hold 
the legs straightened, with the toes pointing 
upwards. The trick is only a matter of bal¬ 
ance and hollowing the back. 

TURNING SOMERSAULTS IN THE WATER 

Practise doing them backwards first, as that 
way is easier than forwards. Lie on your 
back, draw the legs up from the knees towards 
. the chin, and throw the head backwards, at the 
same time hollowing the back, throwing the 
feet upwards, and working the body over by 
means of the hands. 

To turn forwards, sit in the water with the 
feet drawn up to the body and turn over on 
the head, with the feet thrown well up, press 


How to Swim 


97 


the water down with the hands, which will help 
the body round. These backward and forward 
somersaults can be kept up as long as the 
swimmer’s breath holds out. 

HOW TO SUPPORT AND PROPEL ONESELF 

First without using the Hands and next without 
using the Legs 

The swimmer should place the hands along 
the sides of the body, sink the legs much 
deeper than in ordinary swimming, and make 
a succession of strokes with them. These 
strokes should be much shorter and quicker 
than are used in ordinary swimming when the 
hands are at liberty. Next, tie the hands at 
the wrists, and imagine yourself a manacled 
captive trying to escape across a moat. Press 
the hands tightly together with the fingers 
close to each other, and the whole hand made 
as flat as possible. Turn slightly upon the left 
side, making the ordinary stroke with the legs, 
and bring the hands towards the left hip with 
a quick sweep, taking care to part them from 

7 


9 8 


How to Swim 


it as soon as the stroke is made. Then try to 
swim without the legs. Allow the feet to 
hang as low as they like, keep the head well 
back, and make the ordinary stroke with the 
hands, but instead of merely bringing them 
back, press them down at every stroke so as to 
lift the chin well out of the water. This is a 
very slow business, but still it should be prac¬ 
tised, as the swimmer may happen to disable 
his legs, and ought to know how to manage 
without them. 

Lastly, he should learn to swim when both 
hands and feet are tied together. This feat is 
a very superior one and always elicits much 
applause from spectators. It is what is techni¬ 
cally termed a “ gallery ” stroke, yet it is 
really very easy, and can be performed by 
anyone who has practised the two former ex¬ 
ercises. Hold the hands together as already 
mentioned and press the feet together at the 
ankles, then giving short, sharp strokes, the 
hands and feet working almost, but not quite, 
simultaneously. If you are performing this 
feat before spectators, add to the effect by 


How to Swim 


99 


tying the hands and feet with handkerchiefs. 
Swimming is not made more difficult by the 
ligature, while the appearance of difficulty is 
very much increased. 

WALKING ON THE WATER 

This is a very graceful feat and rather diffi¬ 
cult. The performer lies on his back, with the 
arms either by his side or under his head. He 
proceeds feet forwards by dropping each foot 
from the knee alternately, as if he were walk¬ 
ing. The motive powers are the foot and the 
back part of the calf. As the swimmer drops 
it each time from his knee, he kicks the water 
under him, and that sends him forwards. 

.FEATS FOR TWO SWIMMERS 
The Wrestle 

For this, two swimmers are needed who can 
tread water well. They face each other with 
only their right hands out of the water. At a 
given word, each with his right hand tries to 
force the other’s head under water. This feat 
can be varied by using the left hand only. 




ioo How to Swim 

The Float 

This is very simple, and yet looks very effect- ; 
ive. One swimmer lies at full length upon his I 
back in the water, and the other swimmer takes I 
hold of his feet and pushes him forwards. 

The Drive 

In this trick the two swimmers float upon 
their backs headed in opposite directions, with 
the balls of the feet touching each other. Then 
they draw near each other by scooping the I 
water with their hands and bending the knees 
up. The object of the swimmers is to see who 
can by straightening out his legs push the 
other away. 

Over and Under 

This feat is performed by two swimmers, 
who do it in the following manner. Both lie 
extended on their back, with the feet of one 
touching the head of the other; the latter 
clasps the ankles of the other and pulls himself 
underneath the body of the other, assisting 
himself by pulling the sides of the other’s body. 


How to Swim 


IOI 


When his head emerges out of the water, he 
must put his legs on the shoulders of the other 
swimmer; the latter then repeats the perform¬ 
ance. This trick can be performed by three or 
four swimmers all extended out in one straight 
line. The first swimmer, as he goes along, 
pulls himself by the legs and body of each 
swimmer above him, all the while keeping 
his eyes open to see when he has reached 
the end of the line, and can emerge out of the 
water and put his legs on the shoulder of the 
last swimmer on the line. This is one of 
the best-looking feats in the water, and if 
done well always elicits much applause, people 
imagining it more difficult than it really is. 

LEAP-FROG 

Any number of bathers forming in single 
file can join in this easy sport. The last swim¬ 
mer swims up to the next one, puts his hands 
on the other's shoulders, pushes him under, 
and at the same time raises himself and dives 
into the water over the second swimmer’s head. 
He should take care to keep his legs open, so 


102 


How to Swim 


as not to catch the other’s head with them. 
He then goes to the next swimmer and leaps 
him in the same manner, and so on till he is in 
front of the line, when he must pause and 
“ give a back ” to all the other players. The 
same movement is repeated over and over by 
each one of the swimmers who finds himself 
last of the line. 

UNDER-WATER TRICKS 

These feats are chiefly for tank performers. 
In an ordinary pool, unless it had a white-tiled 
bottom, the tricks would not be noticeable. 

Smoking 

Take a lighted cigar, and after exhausting 
the lungs, put the lighted end of the cigar in 
the mouth unseen, and sink under water. 
Keep on blowing the smoke out to keep the 
cigar alight. Then rise to the surface, take 
the cigar out of the mouth and puff it up again 
in the orthodox way. Care should be taken 
that the onlookers don’t see you turn the cigar 
before and after immersion. 




How to Swim 


103 


Drinking 

Take any ordinary bottle with a little milk 
corked in, exhaust the lungs, sink under, and 
uncork the bottle, at the same time put it to 
the lips, then breathe against the water as you 
open your mouth and drink steadily. After 
each gulp breathe outwards. When finished, 
cork the bottle up and it will rise to the surface 
instantly, proving that you have swallowed the 
contents. 

Eating under Water 

A sponge-cake, or something similar, is best. 
Exhaust the lungs, as it is impossible to sink 
slowly unless you do. Break off a piece of 
cake, breathe outwards, open the mouth and 
take the piece of sponge cake in, closing the 
mouth instantly. Eat it, and repeat these 
movements till you have finished the cake. 
Of course, these under-water tricks require big 
and strong lungs. 

Singing 

A pail is required to do this. Place the 
pail over the top of the head, and as you 
sink under water pull the pail over your head 


104 


How to Swim 



straight down. This will act as a diving-bell. 
The air in it will keep out the water. Always 
sing something which will not strain the lungs 
unnecessarily, but be short and loud. 

Writing 

Take a slate and a piece of chalk under water 
and write something topical on both sides of 
the slate. When doing this feat always sit on 
the bottom of the tank cross-legged, as it gives 
a better effect. 

WATER POLO 

The increasing popularity of swimming as a 
sport is due in a great measure to the compara¬ 
tively new game of water polo—or football 
upon the water, as it was called when it was 
invented in England a little more than a de¬ 
cade ago. In America the game, though 
newly imported, has already won great favour. 
Every athletic club of importance is equipped 
with a tank, and the water-polo contests are 
among the best attended “ events ” of the 
season. 

Not football itself demands more skill, cour- 


0 



WATER POLO. 
























































































































o6 


How to Swim 


age, and endurance than this fine game of 
water polo—and on the other hand the newer 
game is less brutal than football, is cheaper, is 
more healthful, is quite as picturesque. 

The game is played in a tank, or in open 
water, by two sides or teams of six members 
each. Each side defends a “ goal ” four feet 
long and a foot wide, set eighteen inches above 
the water line, and at the same time endeav¬ 
ours so to manoeuvre as to enable one of its 
members to touch with the ball, held in his 
hand, the goal of its opponents. The goals 
are placed at either end of the tank. 

An excellent conception of the game may be 
derived from reading over carefully the rules * 
adopted by the Amateur Athletic Union of 
the United States, under whose auspices the 
most important contests in water polo in this 
country are held. 

AMERICAN RULES OF WATER POLO 
Rule i. The ball shall be the regulation 

* Taken from Spaulding's Athletic Guide , February, 1899, 
by permission of the American Sports Publishing Co. 


How to Swim 


107 


white rubber Association football, No. 3, not 
less than 8 nor more than 9 inches in diameter. 

Rule 2. The goals shall be spaces 4 feet 
long and 12 inches wide, marked “ goal ” in 
large letters; one shall be placed at either end 
of the tank, 18 inches above the water line, 
equally distant from either side. 

Rule 3. To score a goal, the goal must be 
touched by the ball in the hand of an opposing 
player, and the greatest number of goals shall 
count game. 

Rule 4. The contesting teams shall consist 
of six a side, with one reserve man who can 
take the place of one of his side in case of dis¬ 
ablement only and receive prize if on winning 
side. 

Rule 5. Time of play shall be eight 
minutes’ actual play each way and five min¬ 
utes’ rest at half time. 

RULE 6 . The captains shall be playing 
members of teams they represent, and shall 
toss for choice of ends of tanks. The ends 
shall be changed at half time. 

RULE 7. The referee shall throw the ball in 


io8 


How to Swim 


the centre of the tank, and the start for the 
ball shall be made only at the sound of the 
whistle. 

Rule 8. The ball going out of the tank, it 
shall be thrown in the centre, opposite where 
it crosses the bounds. 

Rule 9. No player is allowed to interfere 
with an opponent, unless such an opponent is 
in actual contact with the ball, or within 4 feet 
of it. 

Rule 10. A mark shall be made four feet 
from each goal on the side of the tank and a 
line drawn across. No player shall come 
within his opponents’ goal line until the ball 
is put in play within it. 

The goal keepers of the side are alone ex¬ 
empt from this rule. 

It shall be an offside play to cross the line 
ahead of the ball, and it shall be within the 
power of the referee to decide in such case 
whether the goal be fairly made or not. 

Rule ii. Upon a goal being gained, the 
opposite teams shall go to their own end of the 
tank, and the ball shall be thrown by the ref- 


How to Swim 109 

eree into the centre on play being resumed, 
but time so occupied shall not be counted as in 
time of play. 

Rule 12. Teams shall have an umpire at 
each goal line, who, upon goal being made, 
shall notify the referee, who shall blow a 
whistle and announce the same. In case the 
umpires disagree, the referee shall decide 
whether a goal be fairly made or not. 

RULE 13. The referee shall decide all 
fouls, and if, in his opinion, a player commits 
a foul, he shall caution the team for the first 
offence, and for the second the player making 
it shall be ordered out of the water, remaining 
out until a goal has been scored. 

Rule 14. The time occupied by disputes 
shall not be reckoned as in the time of play. 

Note. —The ball shall always be kept on or 
as near the surface of the water as possible. 

It shall be a foul to hold a player by any 
part of his costume. 

Unnecessarily rough play shall, within the dis¬ 
crimination of the referee, be considered a foul. 

It shall be a fcrnl to push off from ends or 


I IO 


How to Swim 


sides of tank, or to touch them except for the 
purpose of resting. 

PHYSICAL EXERCISE AND TRAINING 

Athletic exercises are taught in all our pub¬ 
lic schools and colleges, and when the young 
people leave school they are well acquainted 
with the most useful forms of physical exercise 
for their limbs and carriage; but the great 
drawback is that they neglect their exercise 
when not looked after. 

Many swimmers neglect their training, and 
in thinking that they can win races without it, 
make a serious mistake. You will always find 
that the trained athlete will go through a full 
racing season, and do his best more consistently 
than the man who trains by fits and starts. 
To do good swimming in races, a man must 
be regular in his habits. He must abstain 
from smoking and intoxicating liquors, rise 
early in the morning, and never retire late at 
night. 

For a swimmer to keep in good form 


How to Swim 


111 


throughout the winter, it is advisable to take 
a cold bath every morning, and after coming 
out to rub oneself with a coarse Turkish towel 
or a pair of flesh gloves. Rub the body till 
you feel a warm, tingling sensation, and after 
you are dressed take a short run, you will find 
this will improve your wind wonderfully. 

As soon as you begin regular training for the 
season, do a great deal of walking, as this will 
harden the muscles in your legs, and you will 
keep the whole body in condition. Swinging 
clubs or dumbbells is the best exercise for the 
arms. If you wish to become a fast swimmer, 
the first thing necessary is to practice and im¬ 
prove your staying power. This is done by 
swimming a short distance, increasing it every 
day at a steady pace at the rate of half your 
fastest speed. After practising this for a few 
weeks, practise shorter distances and faster 
speed if you are training for a ioo yards race. 
Never swim more than 75 yards at full speed, 
with now and again a swim at 200 yards to im¬ 
prove your wind and stamina. A week before 
the race have a time trial over the whole dis- 


I 12 


How to Swim 


tance. It is advisable to practise the start at 
the word “ go.” A good or bad start may 
mean the gain or loss of a couple of yards, and 
this may win or lose the race. 

If the start is from a height, dive shallow so 
as to lose no time in getting into your stroke. 
After winning your heat, don’t fail to have a 
good rub down, and take as much rest as pos¬ 
sible before the final. 

Have your hair cut short; it gets dry much 
more quickly, and you carry less weight, and 
can cut through the water more quickly. 

Always see that you have a bathing suit 
which fits the body like a glove. One-piece 
suits are the best, cut out low on the neck and 
arms, giving the latter free play. Always prac¬ 
tise swimming in a straight line, so as not to 
get out of your course and lose ground. Don’t 
lose your head in a race. Always avoid short 
strokes, but take a long swinging stroke and 
keep it up. Always save a little bit of strength 
for the finishing sprint. 



CHAPTER VI 

HOW TO SAVE LIFE 

M ANY persons are drowned by not attend¬ 
ing to a few simple rules. Everyone 
is able to sustain himself in the water for a 
considerable time even if he is not a swimmer. 

When a person is in danger of drowning, if 
he has the presence of mind to throw himself 
on his back, lower his arms under the water, 
and throw his head well back and not be fright¬ 
ened if his chin sinks below the surface, he 
will find that he floats with his mouth above 
water, and as long as he does not raise his arms 
out of water he will not go under. But most 
persons falling accidentally into the water lose 
their presence of mind, hello out, open their 
9 mouths, and draw water into the lungs. Al¬ 
ways keep the lungs full of air. Remember, 



How to Swim 


114 

also, I repeat, that as soon as you raise your 
hands above your head, you will sink at once. 
By keeping them below the surface, you can 
float till help arrives. The water in the ears 
will cause an affrighting sound, but that will 
not hurt you. 

HOW TO RESCUE OTHERS 

Many of our best swimmers shrink involun¬ 
tarily from making the attempt to save a 
fellow-creature in danger of perishing in the 
water. Most people make a mistake in think¬ 
ing that it takes a strong person to save a 
drowning man, but this is altogether wrong. 
Life saving requires only courage and dexter¬ 
ity. There are different ways of saving men 
from drowning. Which one is to be used de¬ 
pends a great deal upon the nature of the place 
where the accident happens; whether it is in 
the river, or in sea; near shore or in mid-ocean ; 
in a place where help is at hand or in a lonely 
spot. There are, however, a few general rules. 
One of these is: never approach a drowning 
man at his front. If you do, he will wind his 


How to Swim 


115 

arms around your neck and drag you down. 
Always go behind him. Seize the person by 
the arms near the shoulder; press your knee in 
the small of his back; this will straighten out 
the body horizontally, while the strain upon the 
arm of the rescuer in towing him will keep the 
face of the person rescued clear of the water 
thus enabling him to breathe freely ; the 
rescuer using his right arm and his legs to 
enable him to reach the shore or other position 
of safety. 

When the person endangered keeps turning 
round, as some have done with the writer, it is 
best to swim round him until the person can 
be so seized as mentioned, from behind, thus 
avoiding the drowning person’s grasp, which is 
very tenacious. Should you, however, happen 
to be seized by the grasp of a drowning person, 
which so frequently proves fatal to both, do 
not lose your presence of mind, but, having 
taken a full breath, allow yourself to sink with 
the person. In nine cases out of ten he will 
let go his hold, and endeavour to reach the 
surface, believing that you are also in danger 


How to Swim 


116 

of drowning. Should, however, the grasp be 
retained, endeavour to force the arms loose by 
pressing the knees against the drowning man’s 
abdomen. In either case you can then seize 
the person from behind, rise to the surface, and 
strike out for shore, as already described. 



A GOOD WAY OF SAVING AND BRINGING A MAN ASHORE. 


The writer has frequently encountered per¬ 
sons who acted in both ways, and is therefore 
speaking from a long experience. 

Another good plan is for the rescuer to throw 
himself upon his back, placing the person’s 
head on the pit of his own stomach, kicking 
out vigorously with his legs at right angles, as 














How to Swim 


n 7 

in back swimming, having previously taken in 
a line of alignment to steer by. This is the 
best method of carrying a helpless person a 
great distance. 

These are the best known methods of saving 
life, and I have practised both successfully for 
many years. 

A third method, efficacious when the im¬ 
perilled man is already unconscious, is to swim 
very fast upon the breast, pushing your charge 
before you. In case he is insensible, the main 
object is to get him ashore at once, either 
above or beneath the water. 

Again, you may support the drowning man 
with one hand grasping him under his right or 
left armpit, grasping his arm after you have 
turned him on his back, meanwhile propel¬ 
ling yourself with the other hand. When two 
rescuers are at hand, this is an easy method ; 
each seizes an arm of the person they mean to 
save, and together they make light work of 
towing him ashore. 

When the person has sunk, and it becomes 
necessary to dive, you can be guided by the 


118 


How to Swim 


air bubbles which rise to the surface, perpen¬ 
dicularly if the water is still, and diagonally if 
the stream is running. Immediately on reach¬ 
ing the bottom, seize the person; a slight jerk 
will suffice to raise the body, and the surface 
may be reached in a few seconds by pressing 
the water downward with the disengaged hand 
and both feet in the usual way (Fig. 5). 

It may be, owing to the discolouration of 
the water or other causes, the would-be rescuer 
beneath the surface is unable to see the drown¬ 
ing man. In such a case it is best to wait 
above for a minute for a reappearance. 

The following case is recorded, being in¬ 
teresting: 

A man accidentally fell into a river; being 
unable to swim, he sank almost immediately. 
A brave young fellow, in his desire to save 
life, dived in the direction the drowning man 
was last seen. While the rescuer was down 
searching for the man who sank, the latter 
rose to the surface. The rescuer, coming up, 
found the man had sunk for the second time; 
instead of diving again, the fellow swam around 


How to Swim 


11 9 

until the man again came to the surface, when 
the rescuer seized him by the back and towed 
him ashore. 

Before making the attempt at rescue, divest 
yourself of as much clothing as possible, tear¬ 
ing off your garments if necessary; at all events 
remove your boots if time permits. There may 
be cases when time will not permit the removal 
of any portion of clothing. 

I have been frequently asked why a drowning 
person rises to the surface two or three times. 
My own belief is, that the air remaining in 
the lungs may not become entirely exhausted 
at the first immersion, consequently the body 
possesses sufficient buoyancy to rise again. 
This may be repeated a second or even a third 
time, according to the quantity of air in the 
lungs. 

If you spring from a boat to save a drowning 
man—or indeed for any reason—leap from the 
stern. Over the stern, also, you must drag a 
struggling person from the water, or if you are 
yourself swimming, climb into the boat. If the 
boat is light and the weight of a person bears 


120 


How to Swim 


upon her side, she may capsize—particularly if 
the person is making strong, ill-directed move¬ 
ments to climb in. 

RESUSCITATION 

When you have brought a half-drowned man 
ashore, your duty toward him is not over. 
Your next task is to “ restore him to himself.” 

If he is not unconscious you will not have 
much difficulty. A glass of brandy will set his 
blood to circulating freely, and after that, warm 
blankets, rest, and rubbing will cure him of the 
shock consequent to his peril. 

But if he has lost consciousness, your task is 
more difficult. There are several methods for 
resuscitating the apparently drowned. I shall 
give here three of these methods. 

The first is that adopted by the Royal 
Humane Society of England, and printed by 
them among their rules and regulations. 

Begin treatment in the open air as soon as 
you have brought the patient ashore. Mean¬ 
while, send for medical assistance, blankets, 
and dry clothing. 


How to Swim 


I 2 I 


Expose the patient’s throat and chest to the 
wind — except in very severe weather. Re¬ 
move all tight clothing from neck and chest. 
Take off the suspenders. 

The points to be aimed at are—first and im¬ 
mediately, the Restoration of Breathing; 
and, secondly, after breathing is restored, the 
Promotion of Warmth and Circulation. 

The efforts to restore breathing must be com¬ 
menced immediately and energetically, and 
persevered in for one or two hours, or until a 
medical man has pronounced that life is extinct. 

Efforts to promote warmth and circulation , 
beyond removing the wet clothes and drying 
the skin, must not be made until the first ap¬ 
pearance of natural breathing, for if circulation 
of the blood be induced before breathing has 
recommenced, the restoration to life will be 
endangered. 

TO RESTORE BREATHING: HALL’S METHOD 

To Clear the Throat. —Place the patient 
on the floor or the ground with the face down- 


122 


How to Swim 


wards, and one of the arms under the forehead, 
in which position all fluids will more readily 
escape by the mouth, and the tongue itself 
will fall forward, leaving the entrance into the 
windpipe free. Assist this operation by wip¬ 
ing and cleansing the mouth. 

If satisfactory breathing commences, use the 
treatment described below to promote warmth. 
If there be only slight breathing, or no 
breathing, or if the breathing fail, then— 

To Excite Breathing. —Turn the patient 
well and instantly on the side, supporting the 
head, and excite the nostrils with snuff, harts¬ 
horn, and smelling-salts, or tickle the throat 
with a feather, etc., if they are at hand. Rub 
the chest and face warm, and dash cold water, 
or cold and hot water alternately, on them. 

If there be no success, lose not a moment, 
but instantly— 

To Imitate Breathing. —Replace the pa¬ 
tient on the face, raising and supporting the 
chest well on a folded coat or other article of 
dress. Turn the patient very gently on the 


How to Swim 


123 


side and a little beyond, and then briskly on 
the face, back again ; repeating these measures 
cautiously, efficiently, and perseveringly about 



HALL’S METHOD OF RESUSCITATION. 


fifteen times in the minute, or once every four 
or five seconds, occasionally varying the side. 
{By placing the patient on the chest , the weight 
of the body forces the air out; when turned on 
the side this pressure is removed , and air enters 
the chest.) 

On each occasion that the body is replaced 
on the face make uniform but efficient pressure, 
with brisk movement, on the back between 
and below the shoulder-blades or bones on each 
side, removing the pressure immediately be¬ 
fore turning the body on the side. During 
the whole of the operations let one person at¬ 
tend solely to the movements of the head, and 
of the arm placed under it. 




124 


How to Swim 


The result is Respiration , or Natural Breath¬ 
ing , and, if not too late, Life. 

Whilst the above operations are being pro¬ 
ceeded with, dry the hands and feet; and as 
soon as dry clothing or blankets can be pro¬ 
cured strip the body and cover, or gradually 
re-clothe it, but take care not to interefere with 
the efforts to restore breathing. 

SILVESTER’S METHOD 

Should these methods not prove successful 
in the course of from two to five minutes, pro¬ 
ceed to imitate breathing by Dr. Silvester’s 
method, as follows: 

Place the patient on the back on a flat sur¬ 
face, inclined a little upwards from the feet; 
raise and support the head and shoulders on a 
small, firm cushion or folded article of dress 
placed under the shoulder-blades. 

Draw forward the patient’s tongue, and keep 
it projected beyond the lips: an elastic band 
over the tongue and under the chin will answer 
this purpose, or a piece of string or tape may 
be tied round them, or by raising the lower 


How to Swim 


12 5 


jaw the teeth may be made to retain the tongue 
in that position. Remove all tight clothing 
from about the neck and chest, especially the 
braces. 


To Imitate the Movements of Breath¬ 
ing. —Standing at the patient’s head, grasp 



SILVESTER’S METHOD OF ARTIFICIAL BREATHING. FIG. 1. 

the arms just above the elbows, draw them 
gently and steadily upwards above the head, 
and keep them stretched upwards for two sec- 



ARTIFICIAL BREATHING. FIG. 2. 

onds. {By this means air is drawn into the 
lungs.) Then turn down the patient s arms, 



126 


How to Swim 


and press them gently and firmly for two 
seconds against the sides of the chest. {By 
this means air is pressed out of the lungs .) 

Repeat these measures alternately, deliber¬ 
ately, and perseveringly, about fifteen times in 
a minute, until a spontaneous effort to respire 
is perceived, immediately upon which cease to 
imitate the movements of breathing, and pro¬ 
ceed to induce circulation and warmth. 



ARTIFICIAL BREATHING. FIG. 3. 


Still another method of producing artificial 
respiration is to place the patient upon his 
back—having thoroughly cleared his throat. 
Insert beneath his waist some soft body that 
will raise it—a coat rolled into a cylinder will 
do. 

Kneel by the patient’s knees; let yourself 


How to Swim 


127 


fall forward, stretch forth your hands and seize 
the patient by the waist, violently compressing 
it. The object is to press the air from the 
lungs, and if this is not accomplished the 
movement is not rightly performed. 

After a second of compression, push yourself 
back to a kneeling posture. Repeat these 
movements once in three seconds. 

This method, however, has not met with 
the favour held by the others. 

TREATMENT AFTER BREATHING HAS BEEN 
RESTORED 

To Promote Warmth and Circulation. 
—Commence rubbing the limbs upwards, with 
firm grasping pressure and energy, using hand¬ 
kerchiefs, flannels, etc. [By this measure the 
blood is propelled along the veins towards the 
heart.~\ The friction must be continued under 
the blanket or over the dry clothing. 

Promote the warmth of the body by the ap¬ 
plication of hot flannels, bottles or bladders of 
hot water, heated bricks, etc., to the pit of the 


128 


How to Swim 


stomach, the armpits, between the thighs, and 
the soles of the feet. 

If the patient has been carried to a house 
after respiration has been restored, be careful 
to let the air play freely about the room. 

On the restoration of life a teaspoonful of 
warm water should be given; and then, if 
the power of swallowing have returned, small 
quantities of wine, warm brandy-and-water, or 
coffee should be administered. The patient 
should be kept in bed, and a disposition to 
sleep encouraged. 

General Observations. —The above treat¬ 
ment should be persevered in for some hours, 
as it is an erroneous opinion that persons are 
irrecoverable because life does not soon make 
its appearance, some having been restored after 
many hours’ seeming lifelessness. 

Appearances which Generally Accom¬ 
pany Death. —Breathing and the heart’s 
action cease entirely; the eyelids are gener¬ 
ally half closed, the pupils dilated, the jaws 
clenched, the fingers semi-contracted, the 
tongue approaches to the under edges of the 


How to Swim 


129 


lips, and these, as well as the nostrils, are cov¬ 
ered with a frothy mucus. Coldness and pallor 
of surface increase. 

In the winter, when the rivers are covered 
with ice, many accidents happen by persons 
breaking into the ice. Let all people go 
away from the ice, get a ladder and rope as 
quickly as possible, and throw the rope to the 
drowning man, with a life-saving belt. Break 
all the weak ice away, until you can get a firm 
landing for him. 

Cautions. —Prevent unnecessary crowding 
of persons round the body, especially if in an 
apartment. 

Avoid rough usage, and do not allow the 
body to remain on the back unless the tongue 
is secured. 

Under no circumstances hold the body up by 
the feet. 

On no account place the body in a warm 
bath, unless under medical direction, and even 
then it should be employed as a momentary 

excitant. 

9 



CHAPTER VII 

UPON PUBLIC EDUCATION IN SWIMMING 

B EFORE I lay down my pen, I must say 
one more word upon a subject that is 
ever present in my mind—the desirability, nay, 
the necessity, of teaching our public-school 
children to swim, and of affording all citizens 
opportunities for bathing all the year round. 
I am addressing this chapter to my readers in 
America. In England by Act of Parliament 
instruction in swimming in public schools has 
been made compulsory. Upon the continent, 
in every city of importance, there are public 
baths, free to those who cannot afford to pay. 

In America, what is the condition of affairs ? 
In most of the seaboard cities there are free 
baths in the summer; that is excellent as far as 
it goes, but it does not go far, for in New 


130 



How to Swim 


131 

York, for example, ten times as many houses 
as now exist would hardly accommodate those 
who desire to bathe and to learn swimming 

Even these twelve baths, supposed to ac¬ 
commodate that proportion of four millions of 
people which cares for the water, are closed in 
September. During the winter, throughout 
this country there are but two cities, I believe, 
which furnish free bathing facilities. 

To this need of them, however, the cities are 
waking up, and in the most important centres 
of population appropriations for public bath¬ 
houses have been made. There is, then, little 
need of dwelling upon this phase of the ques¬ 
tion—except for a moment to point out that a 
corps of instructors in swimming ought to be 
in attendance at every bath. 

The more important subject is the neces¬ 
sity for establishing swimming-baths in every 
schoolhouse, and in making the swimming- 
class as important a feature of education as the 
geography class. 

I would have a tank in the basement of every 
schoolhouse, I repeat, and an instructor to 


13 2 


How to Swim 


teach swimming. I would have laws passed 
providing that every child should learn to 
swim. 

Perhaps certain of my readers will smile at 
this, asking whether I have estimated the cost. 
I have estimated it. In each of those school- 
houses which are already provided with asphalt 
floors in the basements, the expense of putting 
in a tank ought not to exceed $6000—including 
equipment of towels, etc. In the running ex¬ 
penses I reckon $1500 for the instructor and 
his assistant; another $1000 for an instructress 
of the girls and her assistant; $1000 for wash¬ 
ing towels, drying them, repairs, etc., and for 
heating, lighting, etc., perhaps $1000 more. 
Roughly, $5000 a year for each bath. A 
heavy item of expense ? Not when the advan¬ 
tage to be derived from it is considered. Ask 
any physician whether the better health to the 
community that would come if each member 
of it should bathe once , a day is not worth 
$5000 a year spent upon every schoolhouse in 
every city. Every member of a community 
that had grown up under a system of daily 


How to Swim 


i33 


baths would bathe. The habit of bathing is 
not one that decreases as the child matures. 

Besides the benefit to health, there is the 
benefit to public safety. No longer would our 
ships leave port, as they do now, with crews of 
men not half of whom can keep afloat if they 
fall overboard. No longer would only a small 
percentage of our police officers be competent 
to save persons who fall from wharves. I am 
including these merely as examples; I need 
hardly add that other illustrations could be 
drawn ad infinitum. 

America spends vast sums upon less import¬ 
ant measures than instruction in swimming. 
Is it preposterous to suggest that some of this 
money might be devoted to so noble an object 
as the cleanliness and safety of the people ? 
I believe not, and I am making it my chief 
object in life to present the cause of public 
education in swimming to the public. 



















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